UNEXPECTED
by LMA1986
Summary: Garrett and Cassie have been together for a long time now and just as Garrett gets ready to pop the question, something unexpected happens and flips their world upside down. What will happen to flip their world upside down? Will the pressures of what happens affect their relationship?


CHAPTER 1

I was brought out of my sleep to the sound of Garrett's phone alarm going off. I felt the bed shift beside me as he reached over for his phone from the night stand and heard the alarm turn off. I continued to keep my eyes closed as I heard him let out a sigh. He was going to have a busy day ahead of him with filming scenes for his next movie, Lullaby.

I felt the bed shift once again and I knew that he had gotten up out of bed. Once I heard the door open and close, I slowly opened my eyes, scanned the room, and noticed that he had left. Garrett had been acting a little weird the past couple of days and I wasn't sure why.

A few minutes had passed and I decided to get up. I made the bed and opened the curtains before I left the room. I smelled fresh coffee brewing as I headed into the bathroom. I knew that Garrett had to leave for work soon, so I figured that I would spend some time with him, since he would be gone most of the day.

After I went to the bathroom, freshened up, and brushed my teeth, I headed out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. As I entered the kitchen, I saw Garrett standing there watching the coffee stream into the pot. I smiled a little as I watched him. He must have felt my presence because he turned his head and looked at me as I headed into the kitchen.

"Morning," he said in his deep, husky voice.

"Good morning," I said with a small smile as I walked towards him. "Did you want me to make you something to eat before you go?" I asked as I grabbed two coffee mugs from the cupboard and closed the door.

"No, I think I'm just going to fill up on coffee before I head to the filming location," he said as he grabbed the pot of fresh coffee and poured it into both mugs. "Are you sure that you don't want to come with me?" He asked as he handed me one of the mugs.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I have to do a few errands today," I stated as I put some sugar and Vanilla Creamer into my coffee.

"I probably won't be back until later tonight. Did you want to maybe go and grab something to eat after or I could bring something home to eat," he stated as he did the same with the sugar and creamer.

"That sounds good to me," I said as I stirred my coffee around.

I set the spoon down in the sink and took a long sip of my coffee. I sat down at the kitchen table and set my mug down in front of me. Garrett sat down on the chair across from me and looked up at me.

"I was thinking that we should go camping in the mountains after the movie and everything is done," he said before he took another sip from his mug.

"We haven't done that in awhile. We could stay at that cabin again," I said with a small smile before I took another sip.

"We'll have to plan that out," he said before he took another sip and set his mug down. "Today should be the last day of filming, so we should plan for next week."

We had some more small talk while we finished our coffees and then it was time for him to head out. I followed behind him over towards the front door.

"I'll call or text you throughout the day when I get a chance," he said and then leaned down to give me a kiss. "I love you," he said as he looked into my eyes.

"I love you, too," I said before he gave me another kiss. "Be safe," I said as I watched him step out of the house and start to go down the steps.

I watched him pull away and then closed the front door. After I cleaned everything up in the kitchen, I decided to get ready for the day. I had a few errands to run and figured that I would go for a long walk on my favorite trail.

I got myself ready for the day, a pair of jean shorts and pink and white striped flowy tank top. I fixed my hair up in a messy bun and got my things together before I walked out of the house.

I headed to a few stores to do some shopping. Garrett's birthday was coming up and I was browsing around trying to find ideas for him. He was a hard person to buy for, but I had some good ideas for him.

After I was done with the errands, I decided to head back to our house. I put groceries away in the fridge and pantry and then hid some of Garrett's gifts that I had purchased. Once everything was away, I decided to get ready for my long walk. I put on a pair of my black Capri style leggings, a neon green flowy workout tank top, and a black sports bra underneath. I slipped on a pair of no show socks and my matching black and neon green Nike Free 5.0 shoes. I picked up my phone and saw that I only had 3% battery left, so I decided to plug my phone in and leave it sit on the counter. I grabbed my water bottle from the fridge before I headed out of the house. I figured that I would just walk to the trail, since it wasn't too far from our house.

I arrived at the trail and started out with a brisk walk before I started to jog. It had started out as a nice day, but I noticed that dark clouds were starting to blow in. If I could at least get a nice workout in before the rain hit, then I would feel a lot better.

I continued to make my way along the trail and heard thunder in the distance. I quickened my pace as I tried to make it to the 3 mile marker. Rain started to come down from the sky and I let out a frustrated sigh as I continued to jog. A few minutes later, I made it to the 3 mile marker point and stood there for a moment as I caught my breath. The rain was started to fall a little harder and wind was starting to pick up. I looked in the distance and saw the sky flash from the lightning. I decided to head back.

As I started to run back towards the beginning of the trail, the wind was blowing even harder and I was starting to get nervous. The rain was falling harder and I knew that I was going to be soaked by the time I got back to the house, but that's not what was worrying me. The wind was getting stronger and the thunder and lightning was getting closer. As I continued to jog, I could feel the wind picking up more and more. I heard something snap from beside me and all the sudden, a tree started to fall.

"Oh my god," I said as I tried to avoid the tree and ended up falling to the ground as it landed on top of me.

I let out a scream and winced as I felt immediate pain. I looked down and saw that the tree was on top of me. I tried to push the tree up, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

"Help!" I screamed as loud as I could, but knew that no one was close enough to hear me. "HELP!" I shouted louder before I let out a sob.

I rested my head on the ground and felt so much pain on the lower half of my body. The rain continued to pour down on top of me and I was hoping that someone would find me soon.

GARRETT'S POV

We had just finished the last scene of the movie up and I was heading back to my trailer to get out of wardrobe and grab my things. I grabbed my phone and decided to dial Cassie's number to let her know that I was finished shooting. I held the phone to my ear and waited for her to pick up. The phone continued to ring and I stood there.

"Hey, It's Cassie. I'm not able to come to the phone right now. Leave a message and I will call you back soon. Thanks!" Her voicemail said.

I waited for the beep before I started to talk, "Hey, Cass. It's me. I just wanted to let you know that we are done for the night and I am about to head back home. Wasn't sure if you wanted me to pick something up or you wanted to head out. Call me back or I will see you when I get there. I love you," I said and then ended the call.

"So, let me see this gorgeous ring," I heard Jennifer Hudson's voice say from behind me and I turned around to see her standing there with a smile on her face.

I reached into my coat pocket, pulled out the small black box, and opened it up to reveal a Round Brilliant Ribbon Diamond Engagement Ring I had decided to go with.

"Garrett," Jennifer said with a smile as she pulled her hand up to her mouth. "That is...gorgeous. Really gorgeous," she said as she glanced at me and continued to look at the ring.

"I am...a little nervous. I have actually been acting a little weird around Cassie lately," I said as I closed the box and placed it back into my pocket. "We were talking about going camping in a cabin next week, so I figured that would be the perfect time to pop the question," I said as I looked at her.

"Boy, what are you nervous about? She is going to say yes," Jennifer responded as she lightly slapped my shoulder. "You two have been together for a long time now. She is waiting for you to pop the question to her," she continued as we both headed out of my trailer.

" I just...I guess it's a big step," I said we started to walk away from the trailer.

"A big step, but she is going to love it," Jennifer said with a smile. "Let me know what she says," she added as she headed towards her car.

" I will," I said with a small smile as I headed towards mine.

I got into my car, shut the door, and looked at my phone again. I decided to try and call Cass again before I left to head back home. I held the phone to my ear and waited for her to pick up.

"Come on, Cass," I quietly mumbled as the phone continued to ring.

Her voicemail picked up again and I decided to hang up. I started my vehicle up and slowly headed out of the parking lot. I glanced out the window as I started to go down the wet street. I turned on the radio as I approached a red light and came to a stop. I lightly tapped my fingers on the steering wheel as I stared at the red light. I was both nervous and excited to propose to Cassie. It was a big step to take, but Jennifer was probably right. Cassie was sure to say yes.

I arrived at the house 30 minutes later. I pulled up beside Cassie's car, shut the vehicle off, and grabbed my things before I headed to the front door. I unlocked the door and headed inside.

"Cass," I said loud enough that she would be able to hear me as I closed and locked the door behind me. "I'm home," I said as I kicked my shoes off and removed my jacket. "Cass," I said again as I placed my keys on the stand and headed to look for her. "Are you home?" I asked as I continued to walk through the house.

I walked from the living room down the hall to the bedroom, but I didn't see any sign of her.

"Cass," I said loudly as I continued to walk through the house.

I stopped walking, grabbed my phone out of my pocket, and started to call her. As I held the phone up to my ear, I started to hear her ringtone go off from the kitchen. I pulled the phone away from my ear and noticed that her phone was charging on the counter. I ended the call and stood there for a moment, puzzled as to where she would be. It was starting to get dark outside and I had no clue as to where she could have gone. Her car was still in the driveway and she never really left her phone at home.

I leaned back against the counter and tried to think of where she could have gone. Maybe she went to go get us something to eat? But her car and phone were both still there. She wasn't anywhere in the house. Where could she be?

CASSIE'S POV

I continued to lay on the ground as I struggled to hold it together. There I was, trapped under a tree that had fallen and no one knew that I was there. It was getting dark out and I started to sob as I laid there. I was starting to feel more pain throughout my body. I didn't want to die, but no one knew that I was there. I was hoping that someone would see me soon because I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to hold on.

CHAPTER 2

GARRETT'S POV

I kept looking at the time on my phone and it was getting later and later. I was waiting for Cass to come walking through the front door, but there was no sign of her. I didn't understand what was going on. Her purse, keys, and phone were still at the house. Where could she have gone? I decided to go ahead and call the police.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" I heard a lady say as I held the phone to my ear.

"Yeah...umm...I came home from work and my girlfriend is gone," I said as I stood up from the chair. "I'm starting to worry because her phone, keys, and purse are still here," I added as I went over the window and looked outside. "I'm getting worried because she never leaves her things here and I have a feeling that something might be wrong."

"Okay, when did you last see her?" The lady asked.

"This morning, before I headed to work," I said as I started to pace again and ran my fingers through my hair. "I got home about 3 hours ago and she still isn't home," I said as I looked at the clock to see that it was almost midnight.

"Okay, we usually do not file a missing persons report until it has been 24 hours," she started to say.

"I know, but I really feel like something might be wrong," I said as I started to panic.

"I know, sir, but she may be out visiting some friends or relatives. If she does not return within 24 hours, call us back and we will put out a report on her," the lady said and I shook my head.

"Thanks," I said before I hung up and let out a sigh of frustration.

I started to call around, but everyone I called said that they had not heard from Cass. It was not like her to leave her things at the house. Something was majorly wrong. I stepped outside, lit up a cigarette, and took a long drag from it. I blew the smoke out and continued to look around as I felt more panicked. Where was she? Was she hurt? Did someone take her? All these thoughts started to go through my head.

I went back inside the house and grabbed my phone again. I sat down in the living room and waited for her to come walking through the door or at least my phone to ring to let me know that she was okay.

Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours and still no sign of Cassie. I rested my head against the back of the couch and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I was out like a light.

I awoke to the sound of thunder and slowly lifted my head up from the couch. I felt some pain the back of my neck and winced as I looked around. I was in the living room on the couch and quickly picked up my phone to see if Cassie had tried to call. There were no missed calls and I saw that It was now almost 5:00 AM. I stood up from the couch and walked over towards the window. I looked outside to see that her car was still there and there was no sign of her. I was starting to panic more and more as I watched the rain pour down from the sky.

"Where are you, Cass?" I quietly asked myself as I continued to look outside.

My phone started to go off and I quickly looked to see that it was Melissa, Cassie's mom, calling me. My heart started to pound in my chest as I brought the phone up to my ear.

"Hello," I said in a groggy voice as I held the phone up to my ear.

"Garrett? It's Melissa," I heard Cassie's mom said in a worried voice. "Did Cassie come home yet?"

"No, she didn't come home and all of her things are still here," I said as I looked at her phone sitting on the counter. "Did you hear from her?" I asked, hoping that she heard something.

"No," she said as she started to get emotional. "I don't know where she could have gone."

"I called the police a few hours ago, told them what was going on, but they said she needs to be missing for 24 hours in order to report her missing," I said as I leaned back against the counter.

"That's bullshit," she said as I heard her start to cry. "My daughter is missing. Someone needs to do something about it," she said and then she sniffled. "All of her stuff is still at the house. Something isn't right!"

"I know, Melissa. I'm going to go out and look for her once it gets lighter outside. I will update you if I find anything out," I said as I held back tears of my own.

"Okay, we are going to get our stuff together and fly out there. I feel like something is wrong," she stated and then sniffled again.

"Just let me know when your plane gets in. I will keep you updated," I said as I looked out the window again.

"Okay, we both love you and you will find her," she said and I nodded my head.

"Love you guys, too. See you soon," I said and then she ended the call.

I set my phone down on the counter and ran my fingers through my hair as I tried to figure out where she could have gone. I didn't get much sleep, but I was determined to find Cassie.

Just as I was able to make myself some coffee, Cassie's phone started to go off. I quickly grabbed it from the counter and saw that it was Jessica, Cassie's best friend, calling. I quickly answered.

"Jessica?" I said as I held the phone to my ear.

"Garrett, oh my god. Where is Cassie? I just got off work and got your voicemail," Jessica said in a panicked voice.

"I don't know. I got back from filming last night and she was gone, but all of her stuff was here. Did you talk to her at all yesterday?" I asked as I leaned back against the counter.

"Yeah, I talked to her for a little bit during the day. She said that she had some errands that she needed to do and then she was going to go to the trail to do some walking," she said and I started to think. "Oh my god, do you think something happened to her yesterday when she was walking?" She asked as she started to panic.

"What time did she say that she was going?" I asked as I started panic as well.

"Ummm...I talked to her around 6 yesterday and she said that she was heading home, getting changed, and then she was going to go," she said as she started to get upset. "It was right around the time that the storm came through. Do you think that something happened to her, Garrett?" She asked as I started to get my things together.

"I don't know, but I am going to check out the trail and I will call you if I find anything," I said as I grabbed my keys and headed towards the front door.

"Okay, I will meet you there," Jessica said and immediately hung up.

I quickly ran out to my car, got in, and sped off towards the trail. It wasn't too far away from our house, so that's probably why her stuff was still there. I slammed on the brakes as I pulled into a parking spot and quickly got out.

"Cassie!" I yelled as I grabbed the flashlight out of my car and slammed the door shut. "Cassie!" I yelled again as I quickly started to walk down the path. "Cass! Are you here!?" I shouted as I quickly continued to walk, avoiding puddles on the way.

I was hoping that I would find her, but was she there?

CASSIE'S POV

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked them as I felt my energy draining more and more. I didn't know what time it was, but the sun was starting to rise, so I knew it had to be early in the morning. I lifted my hands beneath the tree and tried to push it up again, but it was useless. I was never going to get this thing off of me. Tears started to form in my eyes again and I didn't know if anyone was going to find me. I started to let out sobs as I thought about Garrett and all of our memories together. I wanted be with him for the rest of my life, get married, start at family, but I felt like I wanted to give up. I was feeling tired, energy drained, and I didn't know if I was going to be found in time.

I rested my head back against the ground and closed my eyes as more tears escaped. I thought I heard someone shouting in the distance, but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Honestly, I thought that I was imagining things.

"Cassie!" I heard faintly as I continued to lay there.

I opened my eyes, lifted my head up slightly, and continued to listen for the voice again.

"Cassie! Are you here!" I heard again and I could have sworn that it was Garrett's voice.

"Garrett," I barely said as I tried to look where the voice was coming from, but the tree was blocking my view.

I saw the light from a flashlight reflecting off of the leaves and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

"Cassie!" I heard Garrett's voice say and I could hear him coming towards me.

"Garrett," I said as I rested my head back against the ground.

"Oh my god, baby," he said as he maneuvered his way onto the side of the tree that I was on. "Oh my god," he said as he started to panic, noticing that the heavy tree was on top of me.

He put his hands under the tree and tried to push it off of me, but the tree wasn't going anywhere. I started to sob and squeezed my eyes shut as I felt more pain going through my body.

"Cass, I'm here. It's going to be okay," Garrett said as he kneeled down beside me and took my hand in his. "God, baby, you're freezing," he said as he felt how cold my hands were.

He took his coat off and draped it over my top half as I squeezed my eyes shut. My teeth started to chatter and I winced as I felt more pain go through my body.

"Cassie, I'm going to go where I can get reception and call for an ambulance, okay? I will be right back," he said as he leaned down, kissed my forehead, and then quickly got up with his phone to find reception.

I rested my head back against the ground and opened my eyes. I felt myself starting to get more tired, but I was relieved that Garrett had found me. I felt my eyes start to get more heavy and I closed them as I inhaled the cologne of Garrett's coat. I felt myself start to drift off to sleep.

GARRETT'S POV

I held up my phone as my hand shook while I tried to search for a signal. I was getting more worried by the second as I left Cassie's side. The tree was on top of her and there was no way of me getting it off. She didn't seem like she in good condition and I knew that I needed to get help quick.

"GARRETT!" I heard Jessica's voice shout and I looked over to see her running towards me.

"CALL 911 NOW!" I shouted as I brought my phone down. "Cassie is about a mile down the path! A tree landed on top of her! Tell them that we need help fast!" I yelled before I turned and started to run back to where Cassie was.

"Oh my god," I heard Jessica said in a panicked voice as she started to run the other way.

I moved my feet as fast as I could and started to yell for Cass to let her know that I was there.

"Cassie!" I should as I approached where she was. "I'm here, baby," I said as I maneuvered my way around the tree and kneeled back down beside her. "Cass," I said as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at me.

"It...hurts," she quietly said as she winced and her teeth chattered.

"I know, baby. Jessica is calling 911 right now," I said as I took a hold of her hand and moved some wet hair out of her face. "You're going to be okay," I assured her as I kneeled down and kissed her cold cheek.

"This...wasn't...supposed...to happen," she said as she opened her eyes and looked at me again.

"I know," I said as I gave her hand a squeeze.

She squeezed her eyes shut and winced.

"It's okay, baby. I'm right here," I said as I tried to stay calm for her. "I love you," I said as I glanced around for any sign of medics or Jessica.

She let out a cry and started to cough. I kept my eyes on her and noticed a crimson red color coming out of her mouth.

"Cass, stay with me, baby, okay?" I said as I started to panic. "Keep your eyes open for me," I said as she rested her head back against the ground and her eyes started to close.

"Garrett!" I heard Jessica's voice shout and I looked up to see her running down the path.

"Cass, Jessica is coming. She called for help, okay? Stay with me," I said as I looked back down at her and her eyes fluttered open.

"Don't...let...me die," she managed to get out as she looked at me with worried eyes and a pale face.

"Oh my god," I heard Jessica whisper to herself as she saw the scene unfolding in front of her.

"I'm not going to let you die. Just hang in there," I said as I took ahold of her hands more and looked up as I heard sirens in the distance. "Cassie, do you hear that? Help is coming," I said as I looked back down at her and watched as she struggled to keep her eyes open. "Cass, stay with me. Keep your eyes open," I said as Jessica started to run back down the path to meet with the medics.

"I...love...you," she quietly said as barely kept her eyes open.

"I love you, too," I said before I brought my lips down to her hands and kissed them.

She squeezed her eyes shut and I could tell that she was in a lot of pain. I looked up as I hear voices coming towards us and saw Jessica guiding the medics, police, and firemen towards us.

"What's her name?" One of the medics asked as he made his way around the tree with his orange bag.

"Cassie," I stated as he kneeled down beside her and opened up his bag.

"Cassie, my name is John. Can you hear me?" he asked as another medic came around and I moved out of the way so they could do their job. "We're going to get you out of here," he said as he pulled an oxygen mask out of the bag and placed it into Cassie's face.

I looked up as I heard a beeping sound and saw both a fire truck and ambulance backing down the small path.

"Where's...Garrett?" I heard her mumble into her mask and I moved around to the side so she could see me.

"He's right behind me, Cassie," John stated as he inserted an IV into her arm.

I saw her tired, weak eyes look up at me and I gave her a little smile as I tried to keep my emotions together. I watched as the firemen started to get some machines and tools together. They brought the stuff over to where the tree was and started to figure out the best way to lift the tree up. They were thinking about cutting it, but didn't want to put more pressure down on Cassie.

"Cassie, keep your eyes open for me," I heard John say and I looked over to see that her eyes were closing.

I felt tears come to my eyes and I swallowed hard as I watched her struggle to hang on.

"Cassie, hang in there," Jessica said as she reached up to wipe some tears away.

The firemen got their tools into place and tried to decided which way would be best to lift the tree off of her body.

"We're going to have to lift it up so that it doesn't injure her anymore than what she already is," the chief stated as they got everything into place.

"Okay, we're ready," the one fireman said as he gave them the thumbs up.

"Take it slow," the chief said as I directed my attention back to Cassie.

They slowly started to lift the tree up and Cassie let out a small scream as she felt more pain go through her body.

"Cassie, we're going to pull you out and get you on this backboard over here," John said as the other medic got the board into place. "On the count of three," he said as they got ready to move her. "One...two...three," he said and Cassie let out another scream as they moved her onto the backboard.

The lower half of her body looked banged up and there were some blood spots that I could see. The medics got her head secured and strapped her onto the board. Cassie looked up at me and I saw more tears coming out of her eyes. I reached up a wiped a couple away of my own as I continued to look at her.

Jessica and I got on either side of the backboard to help lift it up. Once we got her around the tree, we quickly headed towards the ambulance that was waiting for her. We set the backboard down on the gurney and I watched as the medics covered her with a blanket and strapped her into place.

"Are you going to come with her?" John asked as they loaded her into the back of the ambulance.

"Yeah," I said as he moved out of the way and I climbed up into the back of the ambulance.

I sat down beside her and took a hold of her hand. I felt it shaking as she lightly held onto mine and looked over at me. I wish that I could have just switched positions with her in that moment. I hated to see her in any type of pain, especially with what happened to her. We didn't exactly know the extent of her injuries.

I watched as the medic took a syringe and started to inject her IV with it.

"What's that?" I asked as I watched what she was doing.

"It's pain medication to keep her comfortable," she answered and I looked back down at Cass.

A lonely tear escaped her eye and I quickly wiped it away. I watched as her eyes started to get heavier and the monitor started to go off.

"Cassie," I heard John said as he looked at her and I could see her eyes closing. "Shit," he said as he grabbed something from the shelf.

"Cassie," I said as I continued to hold onto her hand, hoping that she would open her eyes back up. "What's going on?" I asked as I looked at John.

"Her stats are dropping," he said in a panicked voice as he looked at the monitor.

"Come on, Cassie. Don't give up now," the female medic said as she tried to get Cassie to open her eyes.

"ETA is 1 minute," I heard the driver say.

"Cassie, open your eyes," I said as I glanced at the monitor from time to time to see that all of her stats we dropping.

I felt tears come to my eyes as the monitor started to flat line and the medics moved into to start CPR. I let go of her hand and felt my heart start to pound in my chest. I couldn't lose her. She was my everything and I would be lost without her.

I felt the ambulance stop and the back doors opened up. The medics continued CPR as they got her out of the back of the ambulance. They listed her stats as they walked through the ER doors and I followed closely behind.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot go any further," the one nurse stopped me and I stood there as I watched them continue to quickly move Cassie down the hall.

"I...um...is she going to be okay?" I asked as I felt tears come to my eyes.

"She's in good hands now. I will take you to a private room so you can be alone," the nurse said as she gently placed her hand on my shoulder and took me down the hall to a private waiting room. "If you need anything, just yell. There are vending machines down the hall on the right," she said before she left the room.

I looked out the window and ran my hands through my hair. I couldn't believe that this was happening I was hoping that Cassie was going to be alright.

CHAPTER 3

GARRETT'S POV

I sat on the waiting room chair as I leaned forward and held my head in my hands. It felt like I had been sitting there for hours and I still had yet to hear any news about Cassie. I kept praying that she would be alright.

"Garrett?" I heard Melissa, Cassie's mom, say and I immediately looked over to seeing her and Kenny, Cassie's dad, standing there in the doorway to the waiting room.

I slowly stood up from the chair as they walked over towards me and she engulfed me in a hug.

"How is she?" She asked quietly before she pulled back to look at me.

"She was in a lot of pain when I found her," I started to explain as I looked back at her. "She was trapped under a tree when I found her," I said as I ran a hand through my hair. "On our way here, she...umm," I started to say as I looked down at the floor. "She...flatlined and they...they had to do CPR on her as we arrived," I added as I looked back up at her.

"Oh my god," she quietly said as tears came to her eyes and she brought her hand up to her mouth.

I swallowed hard as I felt tears come to my eyes and looked away from a moment. Kenny took Melissa in his arms as she started to quietly sob into his chest.

"We're just...glad that you found her," Kenny said as he looked at me and nodded his head.

I nodded my head and we all sat down together as we waited to hear some type of news.

Another 30 minutes had gone by and I was starting to get impatient. I needed to know what was going on. Just as I was able to stand up from my chair to find a nurse, a doctor with a white lab coat slowly came into the room.

"Melissa," Kenny quietly said to bring her out of the trance that she was in and she looked over to see the doctor standing there.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Williams," he stated as he extended his hand out to Melissa. " I was the one that worked on Cassie when she was brought in," he explained as she shook his hand.

"I'm Melissa, Cassie's mother," Melissa stated and he moved over to Kenny.

"I'm Kenny, Cassie's dad," Kenny stated as he shook Dr. William's hand.

"This is Cassie's boyfriend, Garrett," Melissa said as she motioned over towards me.

"Nice to meet you," Dr. Williams said as he shook my hand.

"How is she?" Melissa asked as she continued to look at the doctor.

"She is stable for now. We had to take her in for emergency surgery. She had some internal bleeding from the tree falling onto her, so we had to repair what was damaged," Dr. Williams explained and I felt a little relieved. "She lost a decent amount of blood, so we had to give her some transfusions. She was also dehydrated when she was brought in, so she is also on fluids right now."

"Can we see her?" Kenny asked as we all looked at the doctor.

"Yes, I will take you to her room," Dr. Williams said and we all stood up. "She's not awake right now, due to the medication that we gave her, but she should be waking up within the next hour or two," he explained as we excited the room and started to head down the hall.

Dr. Williams slowed down and walked into the room on the right side of the hallway. I slowly followed behind everyone. Melissa brought a hand up to her mouth as she saw Cassie. She was laying in the hospital bed, hooked up to machines, and had a few scrapes on her arms.

"Oh, Cass," Melissa said in an emotional voice as she walked over to Cassie's bedside.

I stood on the other side of the bed and swallowed hard as I looked at the state that she was in.

"Can she hear me?" Melissa said as she looked at the doctor.

"Yes, you can talk to her. It may help wake her up," Dr. Williams said as he looked over her monitors. "I'm going to check on some other patients down the hall. If you need anything, just let one of the nurses know," he explained as he walked over to leave the room.

"Thank you," I said before I directed my attention back to Cassie.

"Cassie, sweetie, it's mom," Melissa said as she gently took Cassie's hand in hers. "Your dad and I are here and so is Garrett," she continued as tears escaped her eyes. "You're going to be okay," she added and then sniffled as she reached up to wipe some tears away.

I looked down at the floor and tried to control my emotions. I never thought that she would be in a position like that.

A couple hours had passed and I was sitting there with my head against the wall, listening to the sounds of the machines in Cassie's room.

"Garrett, Kenny and I are going to get something to drink. Would you like us to bring you something back? Coffee?" Melissa asked as her and Kenny stood up.

"No, I'm good. Thanks, though," I said as I looked at them and then back over at Cassie.

"We'll be back," Kenny said before they walked out of the room together.

I felt my phone vibrate and I pulled it out of my pocket to see that Jessica had text me a few times to ask how Cassie was doing. I answered her back the best I could and she promised that she would stop by when she came in for her next shift. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and rested my head back against the wall. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and said another prayer. Just as I finished praying, I heard a small moan from Cassie. I immediately looked at her and noticed that she was starting to wake up.

"Cass," I said as I stood up from my chair and moved closer to her. "Cassie, I'm here," I said as I continued to look at her face and watched as her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," I said with a smile as she looked at me and a small smile formed on her lips.

"Where am I?" She quietly asked as I placed a kiss on her cheek.

"You're at the hospital. Do you remember what happened?" I asked as I sat down beside her on the bed.

"Yeah, a little," she answered as she looked at me.

"You feeling okay?" I asked as I lightly ran my hand up and down her arm.

"In pain," she said as she glanced around the room.

"Do you want me to have the nurse give you something?" I asked as I took her hands in mine.

"No," she quietly said as she shook her head. "I don't want to go back to sleep," she added and I laughed at little as I smiled at her.

"You had me worried," I said as my smile started to fade and she nodded her head.

"I was worried myself," she said as I saw tears come to her eyes.

I leaned down and gave her a long kiss on her lips.

"She's awake," I heard Melissa say as I pulled back from Cassie and looked over to see them coming into the room.

"Yeah, she just woke up," I said with a small smile as I got up off of the bed and moved out of the way so they could see her.

"Hey, sweetie," Melissa said before she leaned down and gave Cassie a light kiss on her cheek and a gentle hug. "Thank God you're alright," she added as she pulled back from the hug.

"It's good to see you," Cassie said as she brought her hands up to wipe tears away.

"I know, sweetie. It's been awhile," Melissa said as she reached up to wipe her own tears away.

"How are you feeling?" Kenny asked before he kissed her forehead.

"I'm in some pain and a little tired," Cassie answered as she looked at the both of them.

"We're just glad that you are alright. You had all of us scared," Melissa said as she started to get upset and I watched as Cassie brought her hands up to her face. "It's okay, sweetie," she said as she tried to comfort Cassie. "You're okay now."

I grabbed the box of tissues and placed them close to Cassie. She took one out and started to wipe her tears away.

"I just...I didn't know if anyone was going to find me," Cassie said as more tears came out of her eyes. "I was so stupid," she said as she shook her head. "I left my phone at the house. If I would have had it with me..."

"You're okay. Garrett found you," Kenny stated as he glanced at me and I nodded my head.

Cassie looked at me and continued to dab her eyes with the tissue. I was glad that she had talked to Jessica earlier that day or else I'm not sure if she would have made it.

An hour had passed and Cassie's parents were getting ready to leave.

"Are you guys flying back out to Pittsburgh?" I asked as I looked at them.

"We are actually getting a hotel for the night, but we will probably fly back out sometime tomorrow. Kenny's work doesn't like when he takes too much time off," Melissa said with a small smile as she looked at Kenny. "Do you guys need anything before we go?" She asked as she looked at the both of us.

"I think..." I started to say as I looked over as Cassie and she shook her head. "I think we're good. Thanks, though," I said as Melissa came over to give me a hug.

"Thank you for being there for her," Melissa said as she gave me a hug.

"No problem," I said as she pulled back from the hug and I shook Kenny's hand.

"We'll see you guys tomorrow," Kenny said and I nodded my head. "Call if you need anything."

They said their goodbyes to Cassie before they got their things together. Melissa and Kenny walked out of the room and I sat back down beside Cassie on the bed. She let out a yawn as she covered her mouth.

"A little tired, are we?" I asked with a small smile.

"Just a little," she said as she rested her head back against the pillow.

There was a light knock at the doctor and we looked over to see Dr. Williams standing there.

"Hey, Cassie. How are you doing?" Dr. Williams asked as he walked into the room.

"A little tired and feeling pain," she answered as he looked over the monitors.

"I'm going to have the nurse come in and give you some more pain medication," he said as he looked over the IV's. "I'm have them bring you something to eat in. Do you two need anything before I make my rounds?" He asked as he looked at us.

"Will I have to stay here for awhile?" Cassie asked as she looked at him.

"Not a fan of hospitals?" Dr. Williams asked with a small smile.

"Not particularly," Cassie answered.

"As long as you feel good enough to go home, we'll let you leave tomorrow," Dr. Williams said and Cassie nodded her head. "I'll have them bring you some food in before they give you the medicine. Let me know if you need anything," he said as he headed out of the room.

"Can I go home now?" She asked as she looked at me.

"I don't think so," I said with a small smile as I shook my head.

A few minutes passed and there was another knock at the door.

"Food is here," a nurse said with a smile as she brought a tray of food in and set it down on the cart beside the bed.

"Thank you," Cassie said as the nurse left the room. "I don't even want to look," she said as she closed her eyes and shook her head.

"It can't be that bad," I said as I got up and walked over to where the tray was.

I lifted the tray up for her and we saw that it was spaghetti with meatballs.

"Doesn't look bad," I said as I placed the lid back on top and moved the tray over the top of her bed.

I helped her tilt the bed up and she winced a little as she moved around.

"Take it easy," I said as I helped her the best that I could.

She took the lid off her juice and took a sip. I grabbed the remote and turned the TV on as she started to eat.

"How is it?" I asked as I started to go through the channels until I reached the news.

"Not as good as yours, but it's edible," she answered before she took another bite.

"Well, you come home tomorrow, I'll have to cook you something good," I said as I set the remote down and we watched TV as she ate.

After she got halfway through, she put her fork down and sat back against the bed.

"You alright?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"Yeah, I just don't want anymore," she answered and I could tell that she was in a little more pain.

"Do you want me to get the nurse for the medicine?" I asked as I covered the plate back up and moved the tray off to the side.

"Yeah," she answered as covered herself back up and rested her head against the pillow.

"I'll be right back," I said as I went to walk out of the room.

A nurse was getting ready to come into her room.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized as she stopped in her tracks.

"It's no problem. She's starting to feel more pain," I said as we headed into her room together.

"I have it right here," the nurse said with a small smile as she walked over to her IV. "This will probably make you a little sleepy," she said as she injected the liquid into the IV. "Are you done with this?" She asked as he motioned to the food.

"Yeah," Cassie quietly said as she rested her head back against the pillow.

"Okay, I will get this out of here for you," the nurse said as she grabbed the tray and left the room.

I watched as Cassie's eye started to get heavier and I turned the light off that was above her head so that she could get some sleep. Once she was asleep, I rested back on the chair that was beside the bed and closed my eyes as I fell asleep, also.

CHAPTER 4

CASSIE'S POV

I continued to make my way along the trail and heard thunder in the distance. I quickened my pace as I tried to make it to the 3 mile marker. Rain started to come down from the sky and I let out a frustrated sigh as I continued to jog. A few minutes later, I made it to the 3 mile marker point and stood there for a moment as I caught my breath. The rain was started to fall a little harder and wind was starting to pick up. I looked in the distance and saw the sky flash from the lightning. I decided to head back.

As I started to run back towards the beginning of the trail, the wind was blowing even harder and I was starting to get nervous. The rain was falling harder and I knew that I was going to be soaked by the time I got back to the house, but that's not what was worrying me. The wind was getting stronger and the thunder and lightning was getting closer. As I continued to jog, I could feel the wind picking up more and more. I heard something snap from beside me and all the sudden, a tree started to fall.

"Oh my god," I said as I tried to avoid the tree and ended up falling to the ground as it landed on top of me.

I gasped as I opened my eyes and quickly sat up on the bed. I took a couple deep breaths and looked around to see that I was still in the hospital.

"Hey...you alright?" I heard Garrett's voice mumble from beside me and I looked over to see him rubbing his eyes as he moved closer to me.

"Y-yeah," I said as I tried to calm down. "Just a bad dream," I said as he took my hand in his and kissed the side of my cheek.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked as I rested back against the pillows and I nodded my head as I looked over at him.

"What time is it?" I asked and he looked at his phone.

"It's 6:30," he answered and then looked back at me. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel some pain," I started to say before I let out a yawn. "Did you sleep okay?" I asked as I looked at him again.

"Not the best, but there is no where else I would rather be right now," he answered with a small smile. "Do you think you will be okay for a few minutes while I go find some coffee?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," I answered as he stood up and gave me a quick kiss before he left the room.

I layed in the bed and looked around the room as I waited for Garrett to come back. I heard a light knock at the door and looked over to see Jessica standing there with a monitor.

"Hey, girl, " she quietly said as she came into the room.

"Hey," I said with a small smile and tired eyes.

"I'm so glad that you are okay," she said as she gave me a hug.

" I know," I said as I felt myself starting to get upset. "I was...so scared, Jess," I said as she pulled back and I wiped my eyes.

"Me too," she said as she, too, started to get a little upset. "When I heard Garrett's voicemail..." She started to say and then looked down as she shook her head.

"It's okay, Jess," I said as I reached over and lightly touched her arm.

"I just...I'm glad that I spoke with you before you left or we would have never known where you were," she said as she reached up to wipe some tears away.

"I'll be okay, Jess," I reassured her with a small smile and she nodded her head.

"So...now, I need to get your vitals," she said as she stood up from the bed and turned the machine on. "Is Garrett here?" She asked as she grabbed the blood pressure cuff.

"Yeah, he went to get some coffee," I answered as she wrapped the cuff around my arm.

"Yuck, nasty hospital coffee," she said as she pushed the start button. "He loves you so much, Cass," she said as she looked at me and I nodded my head. "Where can I find a guy like him?"

"There's one out there for you somewhere," I answered and the machine beeped to show my stats.

"119/78, good," she said as she took the cuff off of my arm. "How's your pain level?"

"Out of 10? Maybe a 6," I answered as she shut the machine off and placed the cuff back in the basket.

"I will a nurse come in a give you some meds, nothing too strong," she said and I nodded my head.

"In here causing problems, Jess?" We heard Garrett's voice ask as he joked around with her.

"You know it, Garrett," she said as we looked at him and he took a sip of his coffee. "How on Earth can you drink that nasty stuff? There is a Starbucks right down the street," she said as she referred to his coffee.

"This will do for now," he said as he set his cup down. "Everything okay with her?" He asked as he looked at me.

"Yeah, her BP is normal and pain doesn't seem too bad at the moment. I think I'm going to have a nurse come in with something to help with the pain that she does have. Nothing that will knock her out, but something to keep her comfortable. Did you two need anything before I continue on?" Jess asked as she looked at the both of us and we both shook our heads.

"What time do you get off?" I asked as I looked at the clock.

"An hour and then I am going home to get some sleep," answered as she leaned down to give me another hug. "If you need anything, just holler."

"I will," I said as she pulled back from the hug.

"Glad you're okay, Cass," she said as she looked at me and I nodded my head. "I will see you guys later. Behave yourself," Jess joked as she pointed over at Garrett and he laughed a little.

After she walked out of the room, he came over and sat down beside me on the bed.

"I really hope that I can go home today," I said as I rested back against the pillows again and stared at the ceiling.

"You sure you're okay?" He asked and I nodded my head as I looked at him.

He leaned down and gave me a kiss on my lips.

A couple hours had passed and Garrett was texting one of his friends on his phone.

"I guess the media is having a field day over this whole thing," he said as he glanced at me.

"Nice," I said as I shook my head and heard a light knock at the door.

"Morning, guys," I heard my mom say and I looked over to see her and my dad coming into the room.

"Morning," Garrett and I both said.

"How are you feeling?" My mom asked as she came over and gave me a gentle hug.

"Okay," I answered and then she pulled back. "They gave me medicine to help with the pain."

"Good. Thank you for staying with her last night, Garrett We really appreciate it," my dad said as he looked over at him.

"It was no problem," Garrett said with a small smile on his face.

"Hi, sweetie," my dad said as he gave me a gentle hug.

"Hi, dad," I said as he pulled back.

"Are they going to let you go home today?" My mom asked as she set her things down.

"The doctor hasn't been in to check on me yet. I am really hoping that they let me go home today," I said as I looked at her.

"You guys have some fans waiting outside for you guys and by fans, I mean the people with the cameras," my dad said.

"That's what my friend was telling me," Garrett said as he looked at my dad. "I haven't been out the front yet."

"There are a few out there and I think some fans may be out there waiting, as well," my dad said as he took a seat next to Garrett. "How's filming going?"

"Good, we actually just finished up, so I will have some time off to spend with Cassie," he mentioned as he looked over at me and I smiled at him. "I think we're going to a cabin up the mountains, once she gets better."

"That will be fun," my mom said and I nodded my head.

There was another knock at the door and we looked over to see Dr. Williams standing there.

"Morning, everyone," he said as he entered the room. "How are you feeling today, Cassie?" He asked as he came over to my bed and my mom moved off to the side so he could check me over.

"I had a little pain this morning, but they gave me some meds to help with that," I answered and he nodded his head.

"I know that you said something about wanting to go home today. I want to make sure that you would be able to do that. I think what we should do is just have you stand up from the bed, just to make sure nothing major is wrong anywhere else," Dr. Williams stated and I nodded my head. "Let's swing your legs over here," he said and I moved my legs over the side of the bed as I winced.

"You okay, sweetie?" My mom asked as she motioned towards me and I nodded my head as I looked at her.

"Yeah, just feeling some pain," I stated as I waited there for a few seconds.

"You are probably going to experience some pain for the next week or so. I will give you medication to help with that. Do you want to try and stand up?" He asked and I nodded my head.

I gently placed my feet on the floor as the doctor took ahold of my one arm and Garrett came over to assist with the other. I slowly stood up and winced as I felt some pain in the lower half of my body.

"You got it," the doctor assured me and I nodded my head as I stood there for a moment. "Okay, good," he said and they helped me sit back down. "You are probably going to continue to experience some pain, so I would recommend not being on your feet for a long period of time. I am going to send some prescriptions home with you to help with the pain and healing process."

"Can I go home today?" I asked as I looked at Dr. Williams and he nodded his head.

"Yes, you can go home today. I will get the paperwork done and we can get you checked out of here. If you have any problems, just be sure to either come back or contact your physician. Do you have any questions for me at all?" He asked and I shook my head no.

"Thank you for everything," I said as I looked at him and he nodded his head.

"You're very welcome. I will have that paperwork drawn up now so you can get moving," he said as he started to walk out of the room.

"Thank god," I quietly said as Garrett wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Looks like I will be waiting on your hand and foot for the next week," he said and I nodded my head.

"Cass, I ended up bringing you an outfit to change into," my mom said as she grabbed her bag from the floor and opened it up. "I saw this and knew I needed to get it for you," she added as she started to pull the contents out of the bag.

"Mom, you didn't have to get me anything," I said as I watched her pull out a new VS hoodie and matching pants.

"Nonsense, sweetie. It's already washed and dried, so you can go ahead and wear it," she said as she pulled out a top for me to wear underneath.

"Thanks, mom," I said she placed the outfit on the bed beside me.

About 30 minutes had gone by and I was in my new outfit ready to go. A nurse came into the room and went over all the paperwork with me. She also gave me a couple prescriptions that I needed to get filled on the way home from the hospital. The nurse had me get into a wheelchair and they ended up taking me out the back way of the hospital so that the media wouldn't see what was going on. My dad brought Garrett's vehicle around.

"They are still waiting," my dad said as he got out of the vehicle and Garrett opened the passenger's side door.

"They will go, once they know you guys are gone," the nurse said she moved me closer to his vehicle and I took Garrett's hand.

"Just take it easy," Garrett said as he and my mom both helped me up from the wheelchair.

I winced a let out the breath that I had been holding in.

"You okay, honey?" My mom asked and I nodded my head as they helped me into the Garrett's vehicle.

I sat down and gently moved onto the seat better as I reached for my seatbelt.

"Okay, sweetie. You guys take care of yourselves, okay?" My mom said and I nodded my head. "I love you so much," she said as she gave me a hug and I hugged her back.

"I love you, too, mom. You guys need to come and visit again," I said as I pulled back and she nodded her head.

"Under better circumstances," my dad added before he gave me a hug.

"Yes, definitely," I said as I pulled back from the hug. "Have a safe trip back home."

"We will, sweetie. If you need anything, don't hesitate to let us know, okay?" My mom said and I nodded my head as Garrett got in. "We love you," my mom said as she looked at me.

"I love you, too," I said as I looked at the both of them and Garrett slowly started to pull away as I waved at them.

I rested my head back against the seat as I felt Garrett take my hand and lace his fingers with mine. He pulled away from the hospital and started down the street.

"Did you want me to stop and get you anything on the way home?" He asked as he pulled up to a red light and stopped.

"No, I'm good for now," I answered as I glanced over at him.

We arrived at the house a few minutes later and he parked in the driveway. I gently took my seat belt off as he got out of the vehicle on his side. He walked around to my side, opened up the door, and I reached for his hand.

"I got you," he said as I slowly got out of the car and winced.

"This..sucks," I said I shook my head and stood upright.

"I'm sorry, babe," he said as he closed the door and helped me walk towards the front door. "Take it slow," he said as we slowly made our way towards the front door.

It took us a couple minutes, but we finally reached the front door and he got it open. I slowly walked inside and he helped me to our bedroom. I figured that would be the best place for me to go.

"God," I hissed as I stopped in the hallway and closed my eyes.

"You alright?" He asked and I nodded my head. "We're almost there," he added as I started to slowly walk again.

We arrived at the bedroom and he helped me get into bed. I rest back against the pillows and took a couple deep breaths.

"You okay?" He asked as he looked at me.

"Yeah," I answered as I nodded my head and he helped cover me up.

"Here is the remote. I'm going to go get your meds so that you can get those in you," he said as he handed me the remote and gave me a kiss.

"Thanks," I said as I watched him walk out of the room.

He came back a short time later with a bottle of gatorade and my pills that I was supposed to take. He handed the pills to me and opened up the drink. I took the pills and he placed the bottle down on the night stand beside the bed.

"Do you need me to get you anything else?" He asked as he sat down on the bed beside me.

"No, I'm good," I said as I shook my head and he gave me a small smile.

His phone started to go off and he pulled it out of his pocket.

"I need to take this real quick," he said as he looked at the screen and I nodded my head.

I watched as he got up from the bed and answered the phone. I looked back over at the TV and felt my eyes start to get heavy before they closed completely.

GARRETT'S POV

I finished up the phone call and came back into the room to see that Cassie was out like a light. I slowly came over the bed and placed a light kiss on her forehead as she continued to sleep. I was glad that she was alright and I couldn't wait to pop the question to her.

CHAPTER 5

CASSIE'S POV

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked them a few times as they focused on the clock on the nightstand. I noticed that it was 8:35 AM. I brought my hands up to my face and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. It had been a few days since I had been released from the hospital and I was doing good. The pain was almost completely gone and I was able to walk without help.

I slowly turned onto my back and noticed that Garrett was still asleep. I quietly got out of the bed as I tried not to wake him up and slowly made my way out of the room. I went through my morning routine of brushing my teeth and pulling my hair up into a messy bun on the top of my head. I walked out of the bathroom and headed towards the kitchen area.

I opened up the cupboard and started to grab ingredients to make pancakes, bacon, and sausage. I got the bacon and sausage started first before I turned on the coffee pot. I hummed along with the song that was playing on my phone as I grabbed a bowl and started to mix together the ingredients for the pancakes. As I continued to stir the batter together, I felt a pair of strong arms slowly come around my waist and I smiled as a light kiss was placed on my cheek.

"Morning," I said as I turned my head and he gave me a kiss.

"Morning," he said in a husky voice. "How are you feeling this morning?" He asked he continued to stand there with me with his arms around my waist.

"Good," I said as I moved the bacon and sausage around in the pans.

"That's good," he said as he grabbed two coffee cups. "Smells good," he said as he grabbed the pot of coffee.

"I have been so hungry for this stuff lately," I said as I poured a few spots of the batter onto the skillet and set the bowl back down.

"I figured that I would see about reserving that cabin for us for the weekend," he said as he stirred his coffee with a spoon.

"Sounds good," I said as I nodded my head as I moved the sausage and bacon around again in the pan.

I got breakfast finished up and we sat down at the table in the dining room to start eating.

"When will you start going out to promote Lullaby?" I asked as we both ate our food.

"Not for another few months," he answered and I nodded my head. "I'm not sure how it's going to do," he said before he took a sip of his coffee.

"That's always the risk," I said before I placed some food into my mouth and chewed it up. "Although," I started to say and then swallowed the food. "Billy Darley was always my favorite character," I said with a smile and he started to laugh.

"Oh, that one," he said with a smirk and I nodded my head.

We finished up breakfast, and while Garrett got everything cleaned up, I decided to start getting stuff packed for our weekend trip to the mountains. I was going through clothes trying to figure out which would be best to bring with us. I wanted to make sure that I had enough things, in case I changed my mind on what I was going to wear.

"Getting things ready?" I heard Garrett's voice say as he wrapped his arms around my waist as I folded a top.

"Yeah," I answered with a small smile on my face as I placed the top into the suitcase.

He started to place light kisses my neck and I smiled as I tilted my head to the side and closed my eyes. He brought his lips to the sensitive spot behind my head and I let out a small giggle as his facial hair tickled the spot. I turned to face him and wrapped my arms around his neck as we both looked at each other. He brought his lips down to mine and I closed my eyes as I felt them touch. He placed his hands on my hips and we slowly lowered overselves down on top of the bed. I rested my head back against the pillows and we both smiled at each other as he climbed on top of me. He brought his lips down to mine again as I placed my hands on the back of his head. I ran my fingers through his hair as we both deepened the kiss. He lightly ran his fingers up and down my sides. I broke the kiss and turned my head to the side. His lips met my neck and I bit my bottom lip as I closed my eyes and exhaled. He softly pressed his lips on different parts of my neck as I continued to run my fingers through his hair. He tickled the sensitive side of my neck again and I let out a giggle. He sat up a little and smiled at me as we both looked into each other's eyes.

"You're so beautiful," he said as he continued to look at me and I smiled even bigger.

He brought his lips down to my again and we both started to deepen the kiss again. His phone started to go off from the stand and he broke the kiss as he looked over at it.

"I need to take this. It's the cabin place," he said as he grabbed the phone and I slowly sat up on the bed.

"Hello," he answered the phone as I continued to look at him. "Yes, this is him," he said as he looked over at me and I smiled at him. "Yes, we are still planning to come," he said as I got up off the bed and went back over to the suitcase. "Okay, great," he added as I grabbed a hoodie and started to fold it. "Yes, we will see you then. Okay, bye," he said and ended the call.

"Everything good?" I asked as I placed the hoodie in the suitcase.

"Yes, everything is ready to go for the weekend. Still need to get food and all that," he said as I grabbed another top to fold.

I placed the top in the suitcase and let out a yelp as he grabbed me and pulled me back over to the bed. I couldn't wait to spend the weekend being secluded in a cabin with him. We were going to have a great time.

A couple days had passed and we were on our way to the cabin. I looked out the window as he slowly drove on the dirt road.

"It's so beautiful here," I said as I continued to look around and he gave my hand a squeeze.

We slowly went around the bend and there was our cabin right in front of us. I smiled as he came to a complete stop and there was a man waiting there for us with the keys. We got out of his car and made our way over to the man. He presented us with the keys and gave us all the information that we would need. After he left, we made our way over to the cabin and headed inside.

"Oh, wow," I said with a smile as soon as we walked in. "This...this is...it's beautiful, Gar," I said as I slowly walked around and looked at everything.

"Glad you like it," he said as he followed with me and we went into the living room area, which had a fireplace and different things.

We walked to the bedroom area of the house and the rooms were all so beautiful. There was beautiful artwork and craftsmanship that went into the cabin and it was gorgeous.

"This is really nice," I said as I continued to look around with a smile on my face.

"Check this out," he said he gently grabbed my hand and had me follow behind him.

He took me to the back porch area of the house and opened the door. We stepped outside and there was a hot tub with a nice view of the mountains and trees.

"Wow, this is amazing," I said as I looked around at the scenery.

"You love it?" He said as he stood with me.

"I love it," I said with a smile as I looked at him and he gave me a kiss.

"Let's go get our stuff," he said as he started to walk back in and I followed behind him.

Later that night, we were in the kitchen preparing dinner. I was sitting up on top of the counter with a glass of wine while he worked on getting everything together. He grabbed his bottle of beer and took a swig as he moved the sauce around in the pan. I set my glass of wine down and carefully got down from the counter.

"Shit," I said as I fell down to the floor and started to bust up laughing.

"Are you okay?" He asked as he started to laugh a little and set his bottle down on the counter.

"Yeah," I said through a chuckle as I sat there.

"Here," he said he held his hand out and I took it. "How much did you drink?" He asked he helped me up from the floor.

"I'm only on my first glass," I said as I stood up and fixed myself. "I'm good now," I added as I looked at him and he wrapped an arm around my waist as he put the lid on the sauce.

"I'm glad we're here," he said as he looked at me and gave me a kiss.

"Me too," I said and gave him another kiss.

"How about you go relax in the living room and I will get everything ready," he suggested.

"You sure?" I asked as I stood there with him.

"Mmmhmmm," he said as he nodded his head and I gave him a few more kisses before I grabbed my wine glass and headed to the living room.

I sat down on the couch and watched as the fire flickered and crackled from time to time. It wasn't too much longer that he was calling me into the dining room area. I stood up from the couch and made my way towards the room. As I entered the room, I noticed that there were 2 candles lit on the table with two plates of food, basket of bread, salads, and everything else that we needed there.

"Awww," I said with a smile as I walked over to where he was standing and gave him a kiss.

He helped me sit down at the table and I set my wine glass down. He sat down in the chair across from me and we both smiled at each other.

"We need to do this more often," I said as I grabbed my fork and started to eat my salad.

"I could definitely do this more often," he said before he took another swing from his beer bottle.

We started to eat our food and I was definitely enjoying the moment with us together. With everything that had happened with me, it was nice for us to spend some alone time together.

After we were done eating, he cleared the table and came back with a couple plates of chocolate cake for us to enjoy.

"You just thought of everything tonight," I said with a smile and he gave me a kiss before he sat down.

I started to eat the cake and it was so good, one of my favorites. I didn't think anything else would top that night off at the moment.

"That was really good," I said as I wiped my mouth with the napkin and set it down on the table.

"Glad you enjoyed it," he said he moved his plate off to the side and stood up from his chair.

I grabbed my glass of wine and took a sip before I set it back down. I looked up as he stood there in front of me and didn't realize what was going on at first.

"Cassie, I umm...wanted to bring you up here, not only to spend some alone time together...there was another reason," he started to say as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, black velvet box.

"Oh my god," I said as I brought my hands up to my mouth and he slowly kneeled down in front of me.

"We have been together for awhile now and I know that there is no one else that I would rather spend my life with," he said as I continued to hold my hands to my mouth and tears started to come to my eyes. "I love you so much and I was wondering if you would do the honor and be my wife?" He said as he slowly opened the box to reveal a beautiful, diamond ring inside.

I started to nod my head as tears started to come out of my eyes.

"Yes?" He said with a smile as he continued to hold the box open.

"Yes," I said as I finally brought my hands down and smiled at him.

He smiled more and took the ring out of the box. I held my hand out towards him and he slowly slid the ring on my finger. We both stood up together and immediately kissed. I was not expecting him to pop the question while we were staying at the cabin.

"It's so beautiful," I said as I pulled back from him and looked at the ring.

"Are you surprised?" He asked and I nodded my head as I smiled and wiped some tears away.

"Definitely," I said as I continued to look at it.

"I love you," he said as he continued to hold his arms around me.

"I love you, too," I said as I looked at him and we both kissed.

I was definitely not expecting him to pop the question while we were staying at the cabin, but it was another memory for us together and I couldn't wait to marry him.

Later that night, I was laying in the bed texting my mom back and forth while Garrett was getting ready for bed himself. Both my parents were in on the whole thing and knew that Garrett was going to pop the question, so they were very happy for the both of us.

I set my phone down on the stand beside the bed and help my hand up as I looked at the ring on my finger. It was beautiful and sparkled so much. Garrett came into the room and closed the door behind him. I put my hand back down and smiled as he climbed into the bed beside me.

"So my parents knew about the whole thing," I said as I looked over at him and he nodded his head.

"Yup, sneaky, huh?" He said as he leaned towards me and gave me a kiss.

"You're all sneaky," I said as he pulled away and reached over to turn the light off.

He rolled back over towards me and pressed his lips to mine again as he slowly climbed on top of me. I lightly ran my fingertips up his sides before I rested my hands on his bare back. We both deepened the kiss. I slowly moved my hands up to the back of his head and ran my fingers through his hair. I broke the kiss and turned my head to the side as he placed gentle, warm kiss on the side of my neck. I bit my bottom lip as I continued to tilt my head to the side and I felt his hands at the bottom hem of my top. He slowly began to bring the top up exposing my abdomen area. He broke the kiss and I slowly sat up as he took my top off and discarded it on the hardwood floor beside the bed. I rested back against the bed again as he brought his lips to mine again. I moved my hands down to the waistband of his pajama bottoms and started to push them down. He kept his lips in tact with mine as he kicked his bottoms off and they landed on the floor beside the bed. I felt his fingers on the waistband of my bottoms and moved up so that he could removed them. I watched as he leaned over and tossed them to the floor. I spread my legs open as he positioned himself between my legs.

"Are you sure?" He quietly mumbled into my ear.

"Yeah," I quietly said back and he positioned himself as he brought his lips to mine again.

I felt him enter me and started to move in and out slowly. I broke the kiss and turned my head to the side as I let out a moan. He brought his lips to the side my neck again as he continued to keep at a slow pace. My moans filled the air as he started to pick up the pace a little. I gently dug my fingernails into his shoulders and he, too, started to moan a little. His lips found mine again and I felt myself starting to tighten around him. I broke the kiss again and let out the moan I was holding in. He continued to pick up the pace a little and I could tell that he was about to reach his max. Both of our moans were filling the room as we both reached our climax at the same time together. He brought his lips to mine and held himself inside of me for a moment. I layed there as he gently pulled out of me and moved into the empty spot beside me on the bed. I moved to him and rested my head on his chest as he wrapped an arm around me while we both tried to catch our breath.

"You okay?" He quietly asked as I heard his heart pounding fast in his chest.

"Yeah. You?" I quietly asked as he placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm good," he answered back and continued to hold me.

The whole weekend trip was off to a great start. The place was beautiful, everything was going great between me and Garrett, I was now engaged to him, and I couldn't wait to get married and start a family together.

CHAPTER 6

CASSIE'S POV

A couple days had passed by and we were home from our weekend trip to the mountains. I left being Garrett's girlfriend and came back being his fiance. I could not believe that he had this all planned out and even my parents were in on it, but we couldn't wait to get married.

I was in our kitchen one night getting some snacks together. Garrett was out of town for a couple days and Jessica was coming over for the evening to hang out with me. I stood at the counter and continue to cut up some different cheeses and meats when I heard the doorbell go off. I set the knife down, grabbed the cloth from the counter, and wiped my hands off as I headed over to the front door. I unlocked and opened the door to see Jessica standing there with a smile on her face and a couple bottles of wine.

"Hey, girl," Jessica said as I moved aside to let her in.

"Hey," I said as I closed the door behind her.

"Here's the booze, our fave," she said as she handed me the bottles.

"Nice," I said as I took them and she slipped her boots off.

"Where's Garrett?" She asked as we headed towards the kitchen.

"He had to go out of town for work," I said as I set the bottles down on the counter and grabbed a couple wine glasses from the cupboard.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she grabbed a couple pieces of cheese and popped one in her mouth.

"Better than I was last week," I answered as I grabbed the wine bottle opener and started to open the wine.

"This weather is starting to change so fast and I do not like it," she said as I pulled the cork out of the bottle.

"Tell me about it," I said as I placed the cork on the counter and started to pour some wine into a glass. "Did you figure out what you are going to be for Halloween yet?" I asked as I handed her the glass.

"Either a sexy cop or a sexy maid," she answered as she took the glass.

"A sexy something," I said with a smile as I poured my own glass.

"You got that right," she said as I grabbed the bottle of wine and my glass while she grabbed the tray of cheeses and meats. "What about you?"

"Garrett and I want to match, so I'm not sure what we're doing yet," I said as I set the bottle of wine down and held my glass as I sat down on the couch.

"So, how was your trip over the weekend?" She asked before she took a sip of her wine.

"Really good," I said with a smile as I thought of what happened over the weekend.

"What? What's that smile about? I need all the juicy details," she said as I took a sip of my wine and then held my hand out to her to show her the engagement ring. "Oh...my god. Cass...he proposed?!" She said as she got excited.

"Yes," I said with a smile as I nodded my head and she squealed with delight as she gave me a hug.

"Congratulations!" She exclaimed as she pulled back and checked out the ring closer. "Dang, Garrett has great taste."

"I wasn't expecting it at all," I said before I took another sip from my glass.

"That's so awesome, though. I had a feeling that it was coming, though. You guys have been together for awhile now," she said as she grabbed some more cheese and ate it. "When's the wedding?"

"We're not sure yet. We have been wanting to start a family, but marriage is first, so I'm thinking within the next year," I said as I started to eat with her.

"That's so exciting! I'm so happy for you guys," she said as she held her wine glass towards me and we lightly tapped them together.

A couple more days had passed and I was in the kitchen making dinner. Garrett was coming home from being gone for a few days and I couldn't wait to see him.

I heard the front door open and Garrett's voice from the other room.

"Cassie, I'm home," I heard him say as I pulled the homemade lasagna out of the oven and set it on top of the stove.

I set the oven glove down and looked over to see him coming into the kitchen. A big smile formed on both of our faces as soon as we saw each other.

"Hey, babe," he said before he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

We gave each other a few kisses as we held each other close.

"I missed you," he quietly said as he rested his forehead against mine.

"I missed you, too," I said with a small smile before I gave him another kiss.

"Something smells really good," he said as he looked over at the stove.

"I made lasagna, garlic bread, salad, and homemade apple pie," I said as I looked at everything.

"That sounds so good right now. I am starving," he said as he walked over to the fridge and grabbed two beers out.

He helped me get everything set on the table and brought the food out. We put some food on our plates and started to eat.

"So good," he said before he took another bite. "Did do anything fun while I was gone?" He asked before he took a swig of his beer.

"Jess came over the other night to hang out," I said before I took a bite of my salad. "She's really excited about us being engaged," I said as I reached to grab my beer bottle.

"She's not the only one," he said as he looked over at me and we both smiled at each other. "Have you started looking around at stuff yet?" He asked before he took another bite of his lasagna.

"Yeah, I was looking at different dresses and all that," I answered as I continued eat. "When do you think we should set the date for?" I asked before I took a sip of my beer.

"I think maybe sometime in the Spring or Summer would be great," he answered and I nodded my head as I set my bottle back down on the table.

After dinner was over, we cleaned everything up and did the dishes. I rested on the couch while Garrett put the things in his suitcase away.

"I hate unpacking," I heard him say as he entered the living room and I moved my legs up so he could sit under them.

"I'm glad you're home, though," I said as I looked over at him.

"Me too," he said as he looked back at me and gave me a few long kisses.

A couple hours had passed and we were both relaxing in our pajamas on the couch under a big blanket while we watched Ouija together. I rested my head against his shoulder as I held onto his arm while another dark, scary part of the movie was on the screen. I felt him jump and I laughed a little as I moved the blanket back and stood up from the couch. As soon as I stood up, I was being pulled back down onto his lap before I could even take a step.

"Garrett," I said with a slight chuckle as I looked up at him.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked before he brought his lips down to mine.

"Getting...us...some...dessert," I said in between kisses.

He let me get back up and I headed towards the kitchen. I grabbed a couple bowls out of the cupboard and placed them onto the counter. I took the apple pie out of the oven and cut a couple slices, placing one slice in each bowl. I placed the bowls into the microwave to warm up the apple pie while I got the carton of ice cream out of the freezer. When the microwave beeped, I took the bowls out and set them down on the counter. I put two big scoops of ice cream on top of each before I placed the carton back into the freezer. I grabbed the bottle of caramel topping from the counter and drizzled some over top of everything. I placed a spoon in each bowl before I headed back into the living room.

"Here you go," I said as I handed him one of the bowls before I sat back down beside him.

"Awesome," he said as I covered my lower half back up with the blanket.

We started to eat our dessert as we continued to watch the movie. Once we were done, we snuggled under the blanket as the movie continued to play.

"Well, that was exciting," Garrett said as he grabbed the remote and turned the TV off as soon as the credits started to play. "You ready for bed?" He asked as he looked over at me.

"Definitely," I said and then let out a yawn.

"Why don't you head to bed and I'll wash out these bowls real quick," he said as I stood up from the couch and stretched out.

I headed to the bathroom first and went along with my night routine of going to the bathroom and brushing my teeth. Once I was done, I walked to our bedroom and got the bed ready for the night before I layed down under the covers. Garrett came in shortly after me and closed the door behind him before he headed over to his side. He removed his shirt and tossed it to the floor. I reached over and turned the lamp off while he climbed into the bed next to me.

"Feels good to be back next to you," he said as I rested my head on his chest and he wrapped his arm around me.

"Feels good to have you back next to me," I said as I tilted my head up to look at him.

He brought his lips down to mine and I slowly rolled onto my back as he climbed on top of me. I moved my hands up to the sides of his face before I started to run my fingers through his hair. We both deepened the kiss as he held himself up above me. It was nice to have Garrett back with me again.

CHAPTER 7

CASSIE'S POV

HALLOWEEN

A couple more weeks had passed and it was Halloween. It was one of my favorite times of the year. I loved seeing all the different costumes, the scary movies and programs on TV, and enjoying candy.

I was standing in the bathroom in front of the mirror working on fixing my hair and makeup. Garrett and I were going to a Halloween party with some friends. We decided to do a couple costume. I was going as Cinderella and Garrett was going to be Prince Charming.

"Babe, trick or treating just finished up and we are officially out of candy," I heard Garrett's voice say as he approached the bathroom.

"Good, at least we didn't run out like we did last year," I said as I finished putting my makeup away. "I just need to get my costume on and I will be ready to go," I said as he stood in the doorway and wouldn't let me pass.

We both smiled at each other and he leaned down to give me a kiss before he let me leave the bathroom. I headed into the bedroom, slipped out of the clothes I had on and into my Cinderella costume.

"Can you help me with the back? I said as I had my back turned to him and he walked up behind me.

He helped tighten up and laced the back of my costume. I stood there while he tied the back of it and then slipped my clear slippers on. I turned around to face him.

"Well, what do you think?" I asked as I looked at him.

"I'm not sure that I am going to be able to wait until later to get this thing off of you," he said as he placed his forehead against mine.

"You're going to have to," I said with a smile and then gave him another kiss before we left the room.

We arrived at the place where the Halloween party was being held and made our way inside. The house was decorated in every place you looked and it was definitely creepy. As soon as we walked inside, we met with all of our friends.

"There they are," Jessica said with a smile as we approached and I smiled back at her. "You look amazing," she said as she looked over my costume.

"Thank you," I said as I looked at her costume. "This is so cute," I said looking at her Mermaid costume. "What happened to the whole sexy costume idea?" I asked as she handed me a cup with beer in it.

"That went out the window. I really liked this one," she said as she looked down at her costume. "Garrett looks handsome," she mentioned as she looked over at him.

I looked over at him also as he continued to talk with his friends. I couldn't agree more. He looked so good with the Prince Charming costume on.

A couple hours and a few beers later, Jessica and I were dancing along with the beat of the music. As soon as one song ended, another one came on and it was one of our favorite songs to dance to, the Cupid Shuffle.

"This is my favorite song!" Jessica shouted at the top of her lungs and I laughed as we started to dance together.

I continued to take sips of my beer as we continued to go through the movements. Once the song was over, Jessica wanted to continue to dance, but I shook my head.

"I'm going to take a break and get some air," I said into her ear and she nodded her head as she continued to dance.

I walked away from her and headed towards the back door to go outside. I opened the door up and closed it behind me before I started to walk out onto the patio. I sat down on the one chair as I looked up at the sky. With the way the sky looked, I knew that I had one too many beers in me.

"Boo!" Someone said from behind me and I jumped as I looked to see Garrett standing there.

"You ass," I said as I closed my eyes and smirked.

"Someone's buzzed," he said as he sat down on the bench beside me and I nodded my head.

"Is it just me or does the sky look blurry?" I asked as I looked back up at the sky and he did the same.

"It's just you," he said with a slight chuckle and I nodded my head.

"I'm wasted," I said as I laughed a little and looked over at him.

"We can leave whenever you are ready," he said as he lightly rubbed his free hand up and down my arm.

"I think I'm about ready," I said as I looked back up at the sky and blinked my eyes.

"You need help getting up?" He asked as he held his hand out to me.

"Yeah," I said as I took his hand and stood up from the chair.

We started to walk back towards the house and I stumbled a little.

"Easy," he said as I laughed a little and we both locked eyes.

We stood there for a moment as he leaned back against the brick on the house and placed his hands on my hips while I had mine on his chest. He brought his lips down to mine as he pulled me even closer to him. I placed my hands on the back of his neck as we both deepened the kiss. He broke the kiss and brought his lips to the side of my neck. I tilted my head to the side as I closed my eyes. He planted soft kisses on the side of my neck. I bite my bottom lip as I ran my fingers through his hair. His lips moved to the sensitive spot on my neck and I let out a laugh.

"Are you guys done being horny out here?" We heard Jess ask and looked over to see her standing there with a smile on her face.

"We'll finish this later," Garrett quietly said in my ear before we made our way back over to the door.

"What did I miss?" I asked as Jess took my hand and we went back inside.

"You missed a little fight between a couple guys," she said as she led me back towards where everyone was dancing and we started to dance together again. "You guys are adorable together," she yelled into my ear and I laughed as I continued to dance with her.

After a little more dancing, I decided that it was time for us to go home. I was done with dancing and ready to spend some alone time with Garrett.

"We'll see you guys later!" Garrett said to his friends over the music and I waved at them before we made our way over to the front door.

We headed outside and over to his car. We both got in and headed back to our house.

Once we got into our house, I headed to the bedroom to get my costume off. I was standing there working on getting my hair down first when I felt Garrett's arms come around my waist as he planted soft kisses on the side of my neck. I felt his hands untie the back of my costume and I smiled as I helped him remove it. I turned around and pressed my lips to his as he led us back towards the bed. I felt the back of my knees touch the bed and I broke the kiss as I layed down on the bed. He crawled on top of me and pressed his lips against mine again. I ran my fingers through his hair as we both deepened the kiss. His fingers found the sides of my panties and he pulled them down and discarded them to the floor. We both smiled at each other before he brought his lips down to mine again. I moved my hands down from the back of his neck down to his pajama bottoms. I pushed them down and he quickly removed them. I spread my legs and he got in between them as our lips connected again. I felt him gently enter me. I broke the kiss and started to moan as he slowly moved in and out.

"God," I whispered as he lightly kissed the slide of my neck and continued to move in and out at a slow pace.

I bit my bottom lip and placed my hands on his lower back. I tilted my head back and he kissed my neck all around until he got the other side. I lightly dug my nails into his back as he started to pick up speed. My moans and breaths filled the room as he continued to keep at the same pace.

He turned us over so he was on the bottom and I was on the top. I leaned down and pressed my lips to his before I sat back up and slowly started to move up and down. He gently placed his hands on my hips as our moans filled the room. Our hands found each others and we laced our fingers together as I continued to move up and down.

I laughed as he flipped us back over and he was back on top. Our lips connected back together and he started to pick up the pace again. I broke the kiss as I started to moan more. We both reached our climax at the same time and he placed light kisses on my lips before he moved to the spot beside me on the bed. He draped his arm over my waist and I smiled as I looked over at him.

"I love you," he said as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"I love you, too," I said as I looked back at him.

The next morning came and I awoke to the sunlight peaking in through the blinds. I squinted my eyes as I brought my hands up to my face and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I grabbed my phone from the stand and checked to see that it was almost 9 in the morning. I let out a groan as I rested my head back against the pillow. I heard a light knock at the door and lifted my head up to see Garrett coming into the room with a tray of food.

"Morning," he said in a deep husky voice as he saw that I was awake.

"Morning," I quietly mumbled as I slowly sat up on the bed and rested back against the pillows. "Something smells good," I said with a small smile as I looked to see what was on the tray.

"I figured I would make us breakfast in bed this morning," he said a he set the tray down in front of me on the bed and kissed my forehead.

"Thanks, babe," I said with a smile before I gave him a kiss.

"Belgian Waffles with Strawberries, Blueberries, and Whipped Cream, turkey sausage, scrambled eggs," he said as I looked at everything. "And two aspirin," he said as he held out his hand and I smiled as I took them from him.

"You know me too well," I said as I grabbed the glass of juice and took the aspirin.

I grabbed the fork and took a bite of the waffle.

"Mmm, this is so good," I mumbled as I held my hand over my mouth and continued to chew it up.

I got some more on the fork and held it out to him. He took the bite and nodded his head as he chewed it up. He gave me another kiss and we continued to sit in bed and eat breakfast together. I could definitely get used to mornings like those.

CHAPTER 8

CASSIE'S POV

A couple months had passed and it was now Christmas Eve. I was sitting on the floor in our room finishing up the gifts that were not wrapped. Garrett had been out of town the past few days, but he would be coming home that night. I grabbed the last gift that needed to be wrapped and placed it in front of me. I carefully cut the paper, neatly wrapped it around the gift, and secured it with tape. I stood up from the floor and brought the gifts out to place under the tree.

Once I was done and had everything cleaned up, I decided to get a quick shower. I turned the shower on and let it warm up while I got my bed items together, pajama bottoms and one of Garrett's t-shirts. I placed the items on the counter in the bathroom before I stripped down and stepped into the steaming shower. I stood under the shower head as the hot water sprayed down over my head. I tilted my head back and ran my hand through my hair. As I started to shampoo my hair, I started to sing a Christmas song.

I finished up my shower, turned off the water, and opened the shower door. I reached over for the towel I had set out and started to dry myself off. I wrapped the towel around my head and secured it before I stepped out of the shower. My phone started to go off from the counter and I saw that it was my mom.

"Hi, mom," I said with a smile as I answered the phone.

"Hi, sweetie. Just wanted to call and let you know that we have everything ready to go," she said as I put her on speaker.

"What time does your flight leave?" I asked as I put lotion on my skin.

"We are leaving at 4:00 in the morning and we should be there around 1:00 in the afternoon," she answered. "Did you need us to pick anything up before we head to the house?"

"No, I think I have everything here," I said as I started to get dressed.

"Is Garrett home yet?"

"No, he is supposed to be getting in late tonight, so I'm going to try and wait up for him," I answered as I pulled the t-shirt on over top of my head.

"Okay, well I just wanted to make sure that you didn't need anything before we head there. We will see you in the morning, okay?" She asked as I grabbed my brush from the counter.

"Okay, I love you guys," I said as I started to brush my hair out.

"We love you, too, sweetie," she said and I ended the call.

I brushed my wet hair until all the tangles were out. I tossed my hair around a little bit to loosen it up before I headed out of the bathroom and turned off the light.

As I walked into the living room, I looked over at the Christmas tree all lit up and all the gifts that I had under the tree. I kind of went a little overboard with the gifts this year, but Christmas is all about celebrating and giving, right?

I sat down on the couch and looked out the window as I watched for Garrett to come pulling up. I had missed him a lot and couldn't wait to see him. My phone started to go off from the coffee table and I looked over to see that Garrett had text me. I picked up my phone and opened up the message.

Plane just landed. I'll be home soon I read and smiled as I started to text him back.

Can't wait to see you!

I love you he texted back and I smiled bigger.

I love you, too I texted back before I set my phone back down on the coffee table.

I grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and draped it over my body as I continued to look out the window. I couldn't wait to see him. Even though it had only been a few days, those few days had felt like an eternity.

An hour had passed and I saw headlights pull into our driveway. I looked outside to see Garrett's vehicle pulling up beside mine. I smiled as I stood up from the couch and walked over towards the door. I heard the door being unlocked and I stood there with a smile as the door opened. As soon as he saw me, a smile spread across his face. He shut the door behind him, set his bag down on the floor, and put his keys on the stand by the door before we engulfed each other in a hug.

"I missed you so much," he quietly said as he continued to hold me in his arms.

"I missed you, too," I said before I pulled back from the hug and our lips met together.

We stood there and kissed each other for a couple minutes before we pulled away from each other.

"Do you mind if I put my stuff away and shower real quick?" He asked as he rested his forehead against me.

"Not at all," I said with a smile as I gave him a few more kisses.

I headed over the couch and covered myself back up while he went to put his stuff away and shower. I turned the TV on and started to watch A Christmas Story as I rested my head back against the couch. I reached down at the blanket and picked at a loose string that was hanging on it.

"That's better," I heard his voice say and I lifted my head up to see him coming back into the living room.

"You're quick," I said as I looked up at him and he plopped himself down on the couch beside me, which caused me to laugh.

"Couldn't wait to spend time with you," he said as he placed a kiss on my cheek.

"How was your trip?" I asked as I snuggled up against him.

"Good. We promoted the movie a little bit. It would have been better if you would have been there with me," he said before he placed a kiss on top of my head.

"I wish that I could have been there with you," I said as I looked up at him with a smile before he brought his lips down to mine.

"I wonder if there are any pizza places open this time of the night," he said as he lightly ran his hand up and down my arm.

"I'm already ahead of you," I said as I stood up and pulled him up off the couch with me.

We headed into the kitchen together and I opened up the oven.

"You just think of everything," he said as I pulled the pizza box out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove.

Garrett grabbed a couple beers from the fridge while I carried the pizza box into the living room. I set it down on the coffee table and opened it up.

"Thanks," I said as he handed me one of the beers and I took a swig of it.

We both grabbed a slice of pizza and started to eat while we continued to watch TV.

About an hour later, we were both sitting on the couch yawning.

"I'm ready for bed," I said as I looked over at him with tired eyes.

"Me too," he said as he looked over at the clock. "I hope Santa didn't pass up the house," he joked and I lightly smacked him on the arm. "Go ahead and head to bed while I get everything cleaned up."

"Sounds like a plan," I said as we both stood up from the couch and I headed to the bathroom.

Once I was ready for bed, I went to our room and got under the covers. I let out a sigh of relief as I rested my head back against the pillow and closed my eyes. It had been a long day and the next day was going to be even longer.

"Falling asleep on me already," I heard Garrett's voice joke and I peeked my eyes open to see him coming into the room.

He closed the door behind me and I turned onto my side to face him as he got into the bed. He reached over and turned the light off before he rested his head against the pillow.

"I don't have to snuggle with a pillow now," he said as he snuggled up against me while his arm around my waist.

I laughed a little before he brought his lips to mine.

"You don't have to make out with a pillow anymore either," I joked before he brought his lips to mine again.

GARRETT'S POV

The next morning came and I woke up to the sound of the neighbor's dog barking. I slowly lifted my head up and squinted my eyes to see that it was almost 8 in the morning. I turned over and noticed that Cassie was still asleep beside me. I wrapped my arm around her and gently kissed her forehead before I rested my head back down against the pillow.

Ten minutes had passed and I couldn't get myself back to sleep, so I decided to get up. I quietly left the room and headed towards the kitchen. I got the coffee started and rested my hands against the counter as I looked at the picture in the frame that was sitting on the counter. It was a picture of Cassie and I that Jessica had taken over the Summer.

As I continued to look at the picture, I felt a pair of arms go around my waist and I smiled.

"Morning," I said as Cassie came around to the side of me and I wrapped my arm around her.

"Merry Christmas," she said as she looked up at me.

"Merry Christmas, babe," I said before I gave her a kiss.

"Coffee woke me up," she said as she grabbed a couple mugs from the cupboard. "I think I'm going to make cinnamon rolls," she said as she went over to the fridge and opened the door.

"Sounds good to me," I said as she grabbed the can out of the fridge and came over to the stove.

"I have to get things started, too," she said as she set the can down on the counter and reached up to rub her eyes.

"My mom text me earlier. I told her that your parents will be in town around 1, so we'll probably eat around 2 or 3," I said and she nodded her head as she opened up the can of cinnamon rolls.

Once breakfast was ready, we sat down at the table and started to eat.

"So...what did you get me?" She asked as she took another bite.

"You will have to wait and see," I said with a smile before I took a sip of my coffee. "What did you get me?"

"Coal," she joked and laughed a little. "You will have to wait and see, too."

CASSIE'S POV

After we were done with breakfast, we cleaned everything up and headed into the living room to open gifts together. We both sat down in front of the tree as we handed each other something to unwrap. We got each other the usual, clothes, gift cards, he got me jewelry, I got him a new watch, cologne. We knew what each other wanted and needed.

Once we were done with the gifts, we both got ready for the day before we started to get things ready in the kitchen. I started with the homemade stuffing first for the turkey. I got the turkey stuffed and in the oven before I started on making homemade noodles.

"Do you need any help in here?" Garrett asked as he leaned against the doorway.

"No, I don't think. What time is it?" I asked as I continued to work on the noodles.

"It's almost noon," he answered as he looked at his watch.

"Okay, I think I'm good. I'm sure your mom and my mom will help with things once they get here," I said as I glanced over at him.

Just as I said that, that doorbell went off. Garrett left the kitchen to go and answer the door while I stayed there to work on getting things ready. I heard his parents, Robert and Kristi, coming towards the kitchen. I wiped my hands as I turned to see them coming in.

"Merry Christmas!" Kristi said with a smile as she came towards me with a bottle of wine.

"Merry Christmas," I said with a smile as we hugged each other.

"You look great," she said as he looked me over.

"Thank you. So do you," I said with a smile as she handed me the bottle of wine. "Thank you."

"Merry Christmas," I heard Robert say and I smiled as I gave him a hug.

"Merry Christmas," I said as he hugged me back.

"Do you need help with anything?" Kristi asked as we pulled back from the hug.

"If you could help with the salad, that would be great," I said as I set the bottle of wine down on the counter.

I got everything out and set it on the counter so she could prep the salad. I grabbed a couple of wine glasses from the cupboard and poured each of us a glass of wine.

"So, have you two decided when you are going to have your wedding?" She asked as started to cut the vegetables up.

"We are thinking either late Spring or Summer," I answered as I checked on the turkey.

"Have you looked for a dress yet?" She asked as I took a sip of my wine while I watched Garrett grab a couple beers from the fridge.

"I have been browsing online, but I am want to go to the store to try on to decide," I said as I set my glass down on the counter.

"That is the best thing to do. You will know when it is the right dress, trust me," she said with a smile and I nodded my head as I started to work on the mashed potatoes.

An hour had passed and the next thing I knew, my mom and dad were walking into the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie," my mom said as she gave me a hug.

"Merry Christmas," I said with a smile before I pulled back from the hug. "Hi, dad. Merry Christmas," I said as my mom moved aside.

"Merry Christmas, honey," he said as he hugged me back while my mom said her hello's to Kristi. "Here's another bottle for you," he said as he held another bottle of wine up.

"Thank you," I said as I took the bottle and set it down on the counter.

A couple more hours passed and everything was ready. We got all of the food on the dining room table and sat down together. We said a prayer before we started to fill our plates up with food. As everyone started to eat, I glanced over at Garrett and he smiled before he gave me a kiss. I was glad that everything was good and nothing got burnt and ruined.

Once we were done eating and everything was cleaned up, we headed into the living room to open gifts together. I continued to sip my wine as both of our parents opened their gifts up. Once everyone had opened everything, Garrett and I were sitting there together on the couch.

"So, there is one more gift," Kristi said as she looked over at my mom and they both nodded their heads.

"Another gift?" I asked as I watched Kristi get up and grab a rectangular box from her purse.

"Yes, just one more," my mom said with a smile as she nodded her head.

"We all went in on this together," Kristi said as she handed us the box and I looked over at Garrett.

"Did you know anything about this one?" I asked with a smile.

"Not this time," he said as he set his beer down and we both opened the gift together.

Once the paper was off the box, I lifted the lid and Garrett helped remove the tissue paper. We noticed that there was paperwork inside the box and we started to read it over.

"We decided to get you guys a vacation package for a week in the Bahamas. You can either use it now, before, or after the wedding," Kristi said and I smiled as Garrett and I looked at each other.

"Thank you guys...so much," Garrett said as we looked over the information together.

"Yes, thank you," I said with a smile as I glanced at them.

"We figured that you two could use some alone time together," my mom said and I nodded my head.

"Thank you," I said again as I looked at all of them.

"You're welcome," each of them said at different times.

Garrett and I both looked at each other and smiled before he leaned over to give me a kiss. I was very grateful that both of our families came together and got us a gift that we would be able to make more memories with. Everything went perfect that day and next up was my birthday.

CHAPTER 9

CASSIE'S POV

Months had passed by and it was the night before the wedding. I couldn't believe how quickly time had gone by, but the time was here. I felt a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I knew that Garrett and I were going to get married the next day.

Garrett and I were separated and wouldn't see each other until the next day when we would meet at the altar. My bridesmaids and I were staying overnight at a hotel near the InterContinental Mark Hopkins in San Francisco, which is where we were going to have the ceremony and reception.

"I cannot believe your wedding is tomorrow," Jessica said as she handed me a glass of wine.

"I know. It's finally here," I said with a smile before I took a sip.

"How are you feeling?" Kristen, another one of my bridesmaids, asked.

"Excited and nervous," I said with a smile as I looked at all of them.

"You will be fine," Jessica said and I nodded my head before I took another sip.

The next day came and we had arrived at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins. All of us grabbed our things and headed to the place where they were going to let the bridesmaids get ready. We got all of our things set up and I looked around at everyone with a nervous smile on my face.

"Let's do this," Jessica said and I nodded my head as we started to get ready.

I was sitting in a chair in front of a mirror as I sipped on some Champagne while the lady did my hair. I looked at my reflection in the mirror as I thought about what was going to happen that day. I looked down at my phone and saw that Garrett had sent me a text message.

Can't wait to see you at the altar, future Mrs. Hedlund. I love you so much!

"Awww!" Jessica said as she looked over my shoulder and saw what he wrote.

I love you, too! See you soon :) I responded back and set my phone back down.

"You guys are adorable," Kristen said as she continued to work on her makeup.

"They are like, the perfect couple," Jessica said and I smiled before I took another sip from my glass.

Once my hair and make up were done, I stood up from the chair. The bridesmaids and I took some pictures together as we continued to get ready. I looked up to see my parents and Garrett's parents coming into the room.

"Hey, sweetie," my mom said as she brought me into a hug and I could see tears in her eyes already.

"You look so beautiful," Kristi said as I hugged my mom.

"Thank you," I said as I pulled back and my mom was dabbing her eyes with a tissue. "Don't cry. You're going to make me cry," I said as tears started to come to my eyes and I fanned them. "How's he doing?" I asked, referring to Garrett, as I looked at both Kristi and Robert.

"He's excited, but I think he is hiding his nerves," Robert answered I nodded my head as I dabbed the inside corners of my eyes.

"We just wanted to come in and see how you were doing," my dad said as he gave me a hug.

"I'm feeling the same as Garrett, at the moment. I'm excited and ready to go, but nervous at the same time," I said as I looked at everyone.

"Well, Garrett wanted me to give this to you," Robert said as he handed me a small, blue box that he had in his jacket pocket.

"Thank you," I said with a smile as I took the box and opened it up.

Inside the box, there was a loving heart pendant from Tiffany and Co. I smiled and brought my hand up to my mouth as tears came to my eyes.

"It's so beautiful," I said as I glanced up at his parents and fanned my eyes again.

"Let's get it on you," Kristi said and I handed her the box as I turned around.

She took the necklace out of the box, draped it around my neck, and fastened it in the back.

"Thank you," I said as I turned around to look at her and gave her another hug.

"You look so beautiful, sweetie," Kristi quietly said in my ear and I pulled back as I nodded my head and smiled. "Garrett is lucky to have you in his life."

"I'm lucky to have him, also," I said with a smile. "Oh, I have something for Garrett," I said as I walked over and went through my bag.

I grabbed the box with a little bow on top and pulled it out. I walked over and handed the box to his mom.

"This is for him," I said as I looked at her.

"We will give it to him," Kristi said with a smile as she took the box.

"Thank you," I said.

His parents left the room along with my dad so that I everyone could finish getting ready, which involved getting the dresses on. I went over to where my dress was and Jessica came into the room with me as she closed the door behind her.

"I can't believe this is happening. My best friend is getting married," she said as she helped me get my dress on.

"I know," I said with a smile.

She helped get the dress on and get it fastened in the back. I slipped my heels on and turned around to face her.

"Well? How do I look?" I asked as I looked at her.

"You look...you look so beautiful, Cassie," she said as she started to get emotional.

"Don't cry or I'm going to start crying again," I said as tears started to come to my eyes again.

"I'll stop, I'll stop," she said as she opened the door and I followed out of the room behind her.

Once I was out, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me with smiles on their faces. My mom started to get emotional again, but I did my best to hold my tears back. We took some more pictures together and made sure that we had everything before we headed out of the room.

My dad was waiting in the hallway outside the room and as soon as he saw me, a big smile formed across his face.

"Hi, dad," I said with a smile as I linked arms with him and we headed down the hallway behind the bridesmaids.

"You look beautiful," my dad quietly said to me and I nodded my head as I smiled.

"Thank you," I quietly said back and we turned the corner to see the groomsmen standing there.

They all smiled as they saw me and I smiled back. We stood there for a few moments while we waited for the ceremony to start. I took a deep breath and exhaled as I looked down at the floor.

"You'll be okay. Once you see Garrett, you will be fine," Jessica quietly said to me and I nodded my head.

One by one, each couple slowly walked down the aisle together as the doors were opened and then closed again as they waited for the next couple. Jessica was next and she glanced over her shoulder. She winked at me and I smiled as the doors opened. She walked in and the doors closed again. My dad and I positioned ourselves in front of the door as we waited for our time to go in.

"I'm so proud of you," my dad said as he looked over at me and I smiled at him.

"Thank you," I said and it was our time to go in.

'Here Comes The Bride' started to play and the doors slowly opened. We started to walk in and I smiled as I looked at the people that were in the first couple of rows as we started to walk down the aisle. My eyes went from those people straight up to where Garrett was standing. As soon as we both locked eyes, I smiled and I could feel tears coming to my eyes as I made my way towards him. Nothing else mattered at that moment. We arrived at the altar and my dad gave me a kiss before he headed over to stand with my mom. Jessica took my bouquet before I turned to face Garrett and he took my hands in his as we both smiled at each other.

"You look beautiful," Garrett quietly said as he looked at me and the ceremony started.

"Friends, we have joined here today to share with Lacy and Garrett an important moment in their lives. Their time together, they have seen their love and understanding of each other grow and blossom and now they have decided to live out the rest of their lives as one. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together - let them speak now or forever hold their peace," the priest said and Garrett and I looked at each other before he continued.

The priest continued to read on as Garrett and I continued to look at each other. The day had finally arrived for us to join together and get married and we couldn't be happier. We went through saying our vows to each other and exchanged our rings.

"By the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the priest said and we both smiled at each other before Garrett brought his lips to mine.

Everyone started clapping and whistling at us as he pulled back from the kiss.

"I now present you Mr. And Mrs. Garrett and Cassie Hedlund!" The priest said and everyone started to cheer again before we headed down the aisle together.

Once we exited the place where the ceremony was held, we headed outside to get pictures taken while everyone else headed to where the reception was going to take place.

"You look so amazing," Garrett said into my ear as we stood together.

"You don't look so bad yourself," I said before he brought his lips down to mine.

We continued to take pictures outside before we headed inside to the reception area. The different couples started to head in with music as we waited outside for our time to go in.

"I can't wait until this thing is over so I can spend some quality time with my new wife," Garrett said in a husky voice as he rested his forehead against mine.

"And who might this new wife be?" I quietly asked as we stood together.

"The gorgeous woman standing in front of me," he answered and we both smiled before we brought our lips to each other's.

"And now, please help me introduce the newlyweds, Mr. And Mrs. Garrett and Cassie Hedlund!" The DJ announced over the speakers as the doors opened and we started to walk into the reception area as 'Marry You' by Bruno Mars started to play.

We smiled as we made our way towards the bridal party table at the front of the room and started with our first dance together as husband and wife to Edwin McCain's 'I'll Be'. We slowly started to sway to the music as we both looked at each other and people started to take pictures.

"You know you look amazing tonight?" He asked with a smile as we continued to sway to the music.

"And you look handsome as ever," I said with a smile before he brought his lips down to mine.

"Is this what people talk about while they are slow dancing during their first dance?" He asked and I laughed a little as we continued to slowly dance to the music. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said with a smile and we kisses a few more times as our bridal party hooted and hollered from the table.

We both looked over and laughed a little as we continued to dance together. Once the song ended, everyone clapped and we headed over to the table to sit with them.

"Adorable!" Jessica said as she handed me a glass of champagne.

I sat down on the chair beside Garrett and took a sip from my glass. Moments later, our food was brought out and I couldn't wait to eat. I don't think that I actually ate much that day, due to the nerves and stress, so I couldn't wait to eat.

We decided to go with Vodka Penne, Stuffed Chicken Breast, Twice Baked Potatoes, Roast Beef, and Seasoned Green Beans. Everything looked so good and we immediately started to dig in.

"How is it?" Garrett asked and I nodded my head as I continued to eat.

"Amazing," I said after I swallowed and gave him a kiss.

Once everyone seemed to be done eating and we had some drinks in us, the DJ turned up the music and we went out on the dance floor. The bridesmaids and I sang along and danced together as we were having the time of our lives. I glanced over at my parents from time to time and they seemed to be enjoying themselves as well.

The night continued on and it was time for us to cut the cake. I wasn't sure if I should be ready for him to smash it in my face, but I was hoping he wouldn't do that. We held onto the cutter together as we slowly cut a piece of cake out. We moved it into the plate and I picked it up as we each grabbed a fork. We both nicely fed each other a bite and everyone clapped as they took pictures of the two of us together. We kissed each other a few more times before we headed back out to the dance floor with our friends and family.

Later that night, after the reception was over and everything was cleaned up, we thanked everyone and said our goodbyes.

"I'm sure that we will be gone in the morning before you two get up," my mom said as we stood there in the lobby area.

"I'm sure," I said with a smile before I gave her a hug. "Thank you for everything," I said as we hugged.

"It's no problem, sweetie. I think we need to move closer to you guys. I hate saying goodbye," my mom said as she pulled back and looked at me.

"That would be great," I said with a smile before my dad gave me a hug. "Thanks, dad."

"You're welcome," he said before he pulled back from the hug. "We will see you guys soon."

We headed up to the floor that our room was on. As soon as we stepped out the elevator, I felt myself being swooped up into Garrett's arms. I laughed as I wrapped my arms around his neck and he carried me to our room.

"I think I got it," he said he took the key card out and did his best to open the door without dropping me.

"Please..don't drop me," I said as I started to laugh and he opened the door.

"Got it," he said as he walked into our room and the door closed behind him.

He gently dropped me down on the bed and I started to laugh as I looked up at him. He leaned down and connected his lips with mine. I slowly sat up on the bed so that he could undo the back of my dress. We broke the kiss and I stood up from the bed as I helped him remove my shoes and dress. I slowly got back down on the bed and looked up at him as he started to take his tux off. I moved myself up to where the pillows were and rested back against them. I turned the light off above the bed and the light from the city was the only light that came in through the room. Garrett positioned himself between my legs and slowly entered me as our lips connected. I was finally Garrett's wife and I couldn't wait to see what the future held for us together.

CHAPTER 10

CASSIE'S POV

A month had passed by and everything was going great. After the wedding, Garrett and I had went to the Bahamas with the vacation package that we received from Christmas. The weather was perfect and we had a great time.

I felt someone lightly shaking my arm and I slowly opened my eyes.

"Hey, I gotta get going," I heard Garrett's voice quietly said as I blinked my eyes a few times.

"Okay," I said in a tired voice as I slowly sat up on the bed and tilted my head down as I closed my eyes.

"You feeling a little better this morning?" He asked before he placed a light kiss on my forehead.

"Yeah," I said as I nodded my head and covered my mouth as I let out a yawn.

"Okay, I will be back in a few days, but I will call you when I get there," he said and I nodded my head before he gave me a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said as I looked at him and he gave me a few more kisses before he headed out of the room.

I rested my head back down against the pillow and drifted back off to sleep.

The next time I opened my eyes, I looked over to see that a couple hours had gone by and it was almost 9 in the morning. I sat up on the bed and brought my legs over to the side of the bed. The past couple of days weren't the best with me. I would feel nauseated from time to time and just didn't feel like I had much of an appetite. I had thought maybe I got the touch of some type of sickness.

I grabbed my phone from the stand and slowly stood up from the bed. I walked out of our bedroom and into the bathroom. I set my phone down on the counter before I started to brush my teeth. Once I was done, I grabbed my phone and headed towards the kitchen area. I set my phone down on the counter and sat down on the stool. I rested my elbows on the counter as I held my head in my hands. I was feeling drained and nauseated again.

My phone started to go off from the counter and I saw that it was Jess calling me. I grabbed the phone and answered.

"Hello," I answered as I continued to sit there.

"Hey, I'm off today and was wondering if you wanted to go shopping or something," she said.

"Sure, what time did you want to go?"

"Could you be ready in an hour?"

"Yeah, that would be fine."

"Alright, I'll come pick you up. See you in an hour."

"Alright, bye," I said and ended the call.

I stood up from the stool and headed down the hallway to the bathroom. I got showered, blowdried my hair, and got dressed into a pair of jean shorts and a loose fitting halter top. As I went to slip my sandals on, I heard a beep from outside. I grabbed my purse and headed out of the room.

I headed outside and closed the door behind me. I looked up and saw that Jess was singing and dancing inside the car. I let out a chuckle as I opened up the passenger's side door and got into the car.

"Hey, hot stuff," she said with a smile as she tilted her shades down to look at me.

"You're so weird," I said as I laughed a little and set my purse on the set beside me.

"That's why you love me," she said as she slowly backed out of the driveway. "Garrett gone again?"

"Yeah, he had to go shoot some scenes for the Pan movie that they are doing," I answered as she started down the street.

"He has like..the best job ever," she said as she stopped at the stop sign.

"I know," I said as she started to drive again.

My phone started to go off from my purse and I pulled it out to see that Garrett was calling.

"Hey," I answered as I brought the phone up to my ear.

"Hey, honey. I just wanted to let you know that I am here," he said and I smiled.

"Okay, I miss you already," I said as I glanced over at Jess.

"I miss you, too, but I will be back in a couple days."

"Hi, Garrett!" Jess shouted and I laughed a little.

"Tell her I said hi."

"He says 'hi'," I said as I glanced over at her. "We are heading out to shop."

"Alright, well I will call you later when I get a break. I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Awwwww!" Jess said as I ended the call and lightly smacked her arm. "Hey, I can't help you two are adorable together."

Over the next couple of hours, we did some shopping. I found some cute clothes that were on sale and a couple things for Garrett.

"We should get something to eat. I'm starving," Jess said as we walked towards the food court.

"Okay, we can do that," I said and we looked around at what we wanted.

We decided to get some pasta from our favorite place. We brought our bags and food over to an empty table and sat down. I felt myself start to get nauseated again and I took a couple sips of my drink.

"You feeling okay? You look a little pale," Jess said before she took a bite of her food.

"I don't know," I said as I shook my head and looked over at her. "The past couple of days, I've been feeling a little weird. I don't know if I have a little bug of some sort," I said before I took another sip of my drink.

"Has Garrett been sick at all?" She asked before she took another bite.

"No," I answered as I shook my head. "It's like off and on, not constant," I said as I grabbed my fork and took a bite.

"Maybe you got a bug from somewhere," she said before she took a sip of her drink.

"Well, it better go away because it's making my mornings crappy," I said as I glanced at her.

I got halfway through my meal and felt like I couldn't eat anymore, so I sat there and waited for Jess to finish her food.

"You ready to go?" She asked before she finished off her drink.

"Yeah, I'm ready to go home and nap," I said as we grabbed our things and headed out of the food court area.

"Hold on a second," she said as she stopped me and pulled me over to the side where no one really was. "When is the last time you had your period?" She quietly asked, making sure that no one overheard her.

"Ummm...well, I was supposed to get it a couple weeks ago," I quietly answered back as I looked at her.

"So, it's late?" She asked and I nodded my head. "You know what this means, right?" She asked and I thought for a few seconds. "You might be pregnant," she quietly said with a smile and I finally realized that could be what it is.

"I didn't...I didn't think about that," I quietly said as I shook my head and she started to get excited.

"Were you guys planning to have a baby?" She asked as we started to walk towards the exit.

"Well, we have been wanting to start a family," I said as we walked out and headed to where her car was.

"Guess we need to make another stop before we head back to your house," she said as we reached her car and got in.

"I didn't even think that could be a reason," I said as I looked out the window and started to bite my nail.

"It's a good thing, right?" She asked and I nodded my head with a smile as I looked over at her. "I hope you are. That would be amazing!" She said as she headed out of the parking lot. "A little baby Hedlund," she said with a smile as she continued to drive.

"Let's not jump to conclusions, yet. I need to take a test first," I said as I looked out the window.

Before we headed back to my house, we stopped at a drug store and she bought a test for me to take at the house. We headed back to my house and went inside. I took the bag to the bathroom and shut the door as I took the box out of the bag. I followed the instructions and set the test down on top of the counter as I waited for the results.

"Well?" Jess asked nervously from the outside of the door.

"Hold on. It's not done yet," I said as I bit one of my nails as I anxiously waited.

A couple minutes passed and I slowly opened the door to see Jess standing there.

"Well," she asked with a smile on her face.

"It's positive!" I said with a smile as I held the test out to her and she started to jump up and down as she clapped her hands.

"Congratulations!" She squealed as she pulled me into a hug and then looked at the test.

"Thank you," I said with a smile as we both gushed with excitement.

A couple days had passed and it was the night that Garrett was coming home. Since I found out that I was pregnant, I was trying to decide the best way to tell Garrett that we were going to have a baby. I decided one a cute way to tell him and I was feeling a little anxious for him to come home.

I looked over at the clock and noticed that it was almost time for him to be coming home. I heard the doorbell go off and I walked over to see that the pizza guy was there. I grabbed the money from my wallet and opened the door.

"Hi," I said with a smile as he opened up the bag.

"How are you?" He asked as he took the pizza box out.

"Good. How are you?" I asked.

"Great. It's $11.35," he said as he handed me the box and I handed him $15.

"Keep the change," I said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Thank you. Have a good night," he said before he headed down the steps.

"You, too," I said before I closed the front door and headed back into the kitchen.

I set the pizza box down on the stove and continued to stand there as I waited for Garrett to come home.

A few minutes later, I heard the front door open and his voice. I took a deep breath and smiled as I walked out of the kitchen. He set his keys down on the stand and smiled as soon as he saw me.

"Hey, good looking," he said and gave me a kiss. "Something smells good."

"I had a pizza delivered for us," I said as I started to walk towards the kitchen. "I figured that you would be hungry," I said as he set his bag down in the hallway. "How was filming?" I asked as I leaned back against the counter.

"Good, but I missed you," he said as he came over and gave me a few more kisses.

I grabbed a couple plates out of the cupboard while he got us something to drink. I looked over to see that he was getting me out a beer.

"Actually, I'll just take a water," I said as I looked over at him and he switched mine for a water.

We headed into the living room and sat down on the couch as we started to eat and talk about things.

"So, how did shopping go yesterday? Did you get me anything good?" He asked before he took another bite of his pizza.

"Yeah, I got you some things. They are on our bed," I said before I took a sip of my water. "Did you guys get a lot done?" I asked, referring to the movie.

"Yeah, we got a decent amount done. I'll probably have to go back and continue with it," he said as I took another bite of my pizza. "You should come with me next time," he said and I nodded my head.

Once we were done eating, he helped me clean the stuff up before he headed back into the living room. I went back into the kitchen and grabbed the wrapped box from the top of the fridge. I held it behind my back as I came back into the living room. I noticed that he had his head rested back against the couch and lifted it up as I sat down beside him.

"I have something for you," I said as I brought the box out from behind my back and handed it to him.

"What's this?" He asked as he sat up a little more and looked at Iit.

"Open it and find out," I said with a smile as I looked at him.

He unwrapped the paper from the box and slowly opened the lid. Inside there was a card with the pregnancy test underneath. He lifted the card up and read it out loud.

"Hey, dad. Can't wait to meet you," he read and then looked over at me.

"Are...you...are...we...?" He stuttered and I nodded my head with a big smile on my face.

I reached into the box and pulled the test out so he could see that I was pregnant.

"Oh my god," he said in an excited voice and pulled me into a hug. "We're going to have a baby?" He asked as he pulled back from me and I nodded my head again.

He brought his lips to mine and pulled me into another hug. He was so excited to hear the news and I was glad that we were able to share the excitement together. Baby Hedlund, here we come!

CHAPTER 11

ONE MONTH LATER...JULY 4th

GARRETT'S POV

A month had passed and I was so excited that we were going to have a baby. I couldn't believe it at first, but we were both really excited that we were going to be parents.

I was standing out on the back porch as I finished my cigarette. I took one last puff and exhaled as I put the butt out in the sand filled pot before I headed back inside. I went into the kitchen and fixed myself a cup of coffee. Cassie had been experiencing some really bad morning sickness the past few days and I was hoping that she would be able to make it through the day. We were planning to have friends and family over for July 4th for a little get-together.

I grabbed my cup of coffee and headed back to our bedroom. I slowly opened the door and saw that Cassie was still laying in bed. She must have felt someone coming into the room because she slowly lifted her head up to look at me before she put it back down.

"Morning," I said as I gently sat down on the bed beside her. "How are you feeling this morning?" I asked as I tucked some hair behind her ear and looked at her.

"Okay, for now," she quietly said as I took a sip of my coffee.

"You think you're going to be okay today?" I asked I looked back down at her and lightly rubbed her back.

"I hope so," she answered as she grabbed her phone. "We still need to go to the store and get a few things," she said as she went through her text messages.

"I can do that for you," I said as she slowly sat up on the bed.

"No," she said as she shook her head. "We can go together."

"Are you sure?" I asked before I took another sip.

"Yeah," she said as she looked at me with a small smile on her face.

A couple hours had passed and we were on our way to the store to get a few more things that we needed for our get together that afternoon. I pulled into a parking spot and we both got out of the vehicle. We headed inside the store to get what we needed.

"Do you think this is enough?" Cassie asked as we looked at what was in the buggy.

"Yeah, I think it should be enough. Plus, we have all the other stuff at the house," I said as I looked at her and she nodded her head.

We headed to the front to get checked out and I looked over at the magazines that were there.

"Cass," I quietly said as I got her attention and once she looked, I brought her attention over to the one magazine that was there.

On the front cover of People Magazine, there was a picture of the two of us when we were out together and it mentions about Cassie expecting.

"That didn't take long," she quietly said as she looked at me and I nodded my head.

Once we got everything checked out and paid for, I grabbed the few bags and we headed back outside. As soon as I stepped out the door, there were a few paparazzi outside taking picture of us as we came out together.

"Garrett, are you two expecting?"

"Cassie, how far along are you?"

"Are you guys having a baby together?"

I made sure that Cassie was okay as we continued to walk towards my car. I opened the passenger's side door and helped her get in before I headed over to my side. I got in as they continued to take pictures.

"Well, that was exciting. You alright?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"Never better," she said with a smile as I started the vehicle.

I slowly pulled out of the parking spot and headed down the street. Cassie's phone started to go off from her purse and she pulled it out.

"It's my mom," she said and I turned the music down as she answered. "Hi, mom...I'm doing okay today," she said as she glanced over at me while I drove. "Yeah, we on our way home from the store. We had to pick up a few things for today," she continued to talk as I pulled up to the red light and stopped. "Okay, yeah, that would be fine. Okay, we will see you then. I love you, too. Bye," she said and then ended the call. "They are going to be there around 1, if we need any help getting stuff ready."

"Do you think that we should tell them first or everyone together?" I asked as the light turned green and I started to drive again.

"I think we should just wait and tell everyone together," she answered as I held her hand in mine.

CASSIE'S POV

We arrived back at the house a short time later. I got out of the vehicle while Garrett got the bags. I followed him inside and we headed straight to the kitchen. We were planning to have a big cookout with family and friends. We had the chicken and steak marinating in the fridge and we were also planning on doing hot dogs and hamburgers. My mom had made some Linguini Salad and Potato Salad and Garrett's mom decided to make us some desserts to have.

I started to take things out of the bags and set them down on the counter. I was two months pregnant and couldn't wait to break the news to everyone. Jessica was the only one that knew we were expecting, so I had a feeling that everyone was going to be surprised.

I started to slice the watermelon up that we bought from the store and placed the slices on a tray. Garrett came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around me as I continued to slice the watermelon up.

"You feeling okay?" He asked as he placed his chin on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile as I placed a couple more slices on the tray.

"I can't wait," he said as he lightly placed his hands on the small bump that was starting to form.

"Would you rather have a boy or girl?" I asked as he lightly kissed the side of my neck.

"As long as he or she is healthy, I am happy with either choice," he answered as I put the last of the slices on the tray and wiped my hands with the towel.

"Good answer," I said with a smile as I turned to look at him and he gave me a few kisses.

The doorbell went off and Garrett headed to answer it while I grabbed the plastic wrap to place over the tray. I heard my parents' voices as I opened up the fridge and placed the tray on the shelf. They had decided to move about 20 minutes away from our house, so they were much closer to us now.

"Hi, mom," I said as I held the door open to the fridge so that I could put her pasta and potato salads in.

"Hi, sweetie. Thank you," she said as she placed the bowls on the shelves and I closed the door. "You look cute today," she said as she looked at my outfit, which was patriotic.

"Thanks," I said as we hugged.

"Do you need me to help do anything?" She asked as she set her purse down on the counter.

"No, I got everything ready. We're just going to wait and start the food once people start getting here," I answered as I opened the fridge again. "Do you want something to drink?"

"No, sweetie. I'm good for now," she answered and we headed out back where my dad and Garrett were.

A little over an hour had passed and we were out back with everyone in the backyard. Garrett was working the grill while he talked with his friends while I was sitting on the edge of the pool with my feet dangling in the water.

"So, does anyone else know?" Jess quietly asked me as we swirled out feet around.

"Not yet," I quietly said as I shook my head. "We are going to announce it today," I said with a small smile

"I'm so excited for you," she squealed as she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.

"Food is ready!" Garrett shouted and everyone started to head over to fill their plates up with food.

Jess stood up and then helped me up before we headed over to get in line with everyone else. After we got so food, we headed over to sit down on the chairs by the pool.

"What would you like to drink?" I heard Garrett's voice say from behind me.

"Just water," I answered as I looked up at him.

He came back over a couple minutes later with a bottle of water.

"Thanks," I said as I took it from him and he gave me a kiss.

"You two are so cute," Jess said as Garrett walked away.

A couple hours later, everyone was enjoying themselves. Some people were having fun in the pool while others were sitting around talking. A small smile formed on my lips as I watched Jess and Brad, one of Garrett's friends, flirting with each other.

"That's trouble there," I heard Garrett say and I looked over to see him sitting down beside me with a beer in his hand.

"You think?" I said as I looked back over at Jess and Brad.

"Those two together, that's trouble," he joked and I lightly slapped his arm before he leaned over to give me a kiss. "When do you think we should make the announcement?" He quietly asked as he looked at me.

"Whenever you are ready," I said as I looked back at him.

"Let's do it now," he said as he stood up from the chair and held his hand out to me.

I took his hand and he helped me up off the chair. We headed over to where the majority of the people were.

"Okay, EVERYONE!" Garrett shouted and everyone basically stopped doing what they were doing and looked over at us. "First off, we're glad that everyone could make it here today to celebrate the 4th of July with us. Second, we have an announcement to make about something," he said a he looked down at me and I saw Jess getting excited as she knew what he was going to say. "Cassie and I are going to have a baby," he said loud enough for everyone to hear and everyone started to cheer.

"Are you serious? You're pregnant?!" My mom asked in an excited voice as she quickly came over to me.

"Yes," I said with a big smile as I nodded my head.

"Oh, honey," my mom said as she pulled me into a hug and started to get emotional. "How far along are you?" She asked as she pulled back to look at my belly.

"Two months," I answered as she wiped some tears away and my dad gave me a hug.

"Congratulations," he said as he pulled back from our hug.

"Thanks, dad," I said and looked over a Kristi.

"Congratulations!" She said in an excited voice with a big smile on her face as she gave me a hug.

"Thank you," I said before I pulled back from the hug.

"I had a feeling," she said as she gave Garrett a hug.

"Congrats, sweetie," Robert said as he gave me a hug.

"Thank you," I said as I hugged him back.

"This is so exciting!" My mom said as she hugged Kristi and Garrett put his arm around my shoulders and smiled as we watched them getting excited about the pregnancy.

Later that night, we were standing together while Garrett's friends shot off fireworks. I rested my head against Garrett's chest while he had his arm around my shoulders. I watched as the different fireworks went off and he held me closer. He tilted his head down to look at me and I smiled at him before he brought his lips down to mine. I rested my head back against his chest as he placed a light kiss on my forehead. We had a great time with friends and family and we were glad that everyone was excited for us to have a baby together. I was definitely looking forward to it. I just hoped that the morning sickness would not be too bad throughout my pregnancy.

CHAPTER 12

CASSIE'S POV

ONE MONTH LATER

I slowly turned onto my side and felt my stomach start to churn. I quickly got up from the bed and headed towards the bathroom. I lifted the lid on the toilet and let the contents spill out from the night before. Morning sickness was terrible and I couldn't wait until it would go away, which probably wouldn't be any time soon.

Once I felt that I was done I flushed and sat there for a moment to make sure that I didn't have any more in there. I felt more coming up and I leaned forward again. Once I was done, I flushed again and put the lid down as I held my head in my hands while I rested my elbows on top of the lid.

"You okay?" I heard Garrett mumble as he gently started to rub my back and I shook my head no.

"This sucks," I said as I slowly stood up from the floor and grabbed the bottle of mouthwash from the cabinet.

"I know, hun," he said as he rubbed his eyes while I rinsed my mouth out.

We left the bathroom and went back to our room. He layed back down first and then I got in the bed beside him and rested my head on his chest.

"You feel better now?" He asked as he lightly rubbed my arm.

"Yeah, for now," I answered as I snuggled up against him. "What time is it?"

"It's a little after six," he answered as he continued to rub my arm. "Try and get some more sleep," he said as I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.

We were awoken by the sound of his alarm going off on his phone, which meant that it was now 9:00 AM. My doctor appointment was at 10:30 AM and I was really excited. I was going to have an ultrasound done and we were hoping to find out the sex of the baby. I was now 3 months pregnant and my bump was a little bigger, but not too noticeable.

"You feel okay now?" He said in a deep, husky voice as he rested his head against the pillow and looked over at me.

"Yeah," I quietly said as I brought my hand up to my face and rubbed my eyes.

He lightly placed his hand on my small bump and I smiled a little as I looked over at him.

"Maybe we'll find out today whether we're having a boy or girl," I said as I placed my hand on top of his.

He leaned over a placed a few kisses on my lips.

"We better get up so we can get moving," he said before he gave me one last kiss.

We both got out of bed and I headed to the bathroom while Garrett headed into the kitchen to start breakfast. I got a quick shower and blowdried my hair before I headed into the kitchen. He was working on breakfast, making chocolate chip pancakes and sausage. I sat down on the stool by the counter and started to look through my phone.

"Looks like the media is going nuts over this pregnancy," I said as I looked through the posted on Twitter about Iit.

"They aren't the only one," he said as he glanced over his shoulder at me. "You still feeling good?" He asked.

"Yeah," I said as I set my phone back down on the counter and looked over at him.

He finished cooking, shut the stove off, and set both plates down on the counter, one in front of me and the other in his spot.

"Do you want whipped cream?" He asked as he opened up the fridge door and looked around.

"Yes, please," I said as I grabbed the bottle of syrup and started to pour it over my pancakes.

He set the can of Redi Whip down in front of me and I put some on top of my pancakes. He sat down on the chair beside me and we both started to eat.

"When are you going to be promoting Pan?" I asked before I took another bite.

"I think that is going to start soon. The movie comes out in October," he answered before he took a sip of his coffee. "You should come with me," he said and I nodded my head as I continued to eat.

Once we were done eating, I cleaned everything up and did the dishes while he got a shower. After I was done cleaning everything up, I headed to the bedroom to get dressed.

"Much better," I heard Garrett's voice say as he entered the bedroom wearing just a pair of jeans. "What time is it?" He asked as he grabbed his shirt from the bed.

"It's almost 10," I answered as I put my earrings in and his phone started to go off from the dresser.

He picked it up and answered, "Hello? Oh, hey, what's up?" He asked as I slipped my shoes on. "Yeah, that would be fine. Sure, I'll do that. Okay, just let me know. Alright, bye," he said and then ended the call.

"Who was that?" I asked as I grabbed my purse from the hanger and closed the closet.

"They were calling about doing promotion for Pan. They want me to go next week," he said as he slipped his shoes on. "Are you ready to go?" He asked as he stood up from the bed.

"Yes," I said before he gave me a kiss and we headed out of the bedroom.

We walked out to his car and got in. He slowly backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. We arrived at the doctor's office about 10 minutes later and headed inside. I signed in and sat down on the empty chair next to Garrett.

"Cassie?" I heard a woman say and I looked up to see the nurse standing at the door waiting for me.

"That was quick," Garrett said as he stood up with me and we headed to where she was.

"How are you today?" The nurse asked as she looked at me.

"Good. How are you?" I asked as I walked through the doorway.

"Good. We're going to the 2nd room on the right," she said and I followed behind her.

We went into the dark room with the ultrasound machine set up.

"You can go ahead and lay down on the bed," the nurse said as Garrett took my purse and I carefully layed down on the bed. "How far along are you?" She asked as she started to get the machine ready.

"13 weeks," I answered as she moved my shirt up and tucked the sheet into the top hem of my waistband.

She sat down on the chair in front of the screen and grabbed the transducer from the holder. She grabbed a bottle of gel and squirted some onto my small bump.

"Okay, let's get started," she said as she grabbed the transducer and placed it where the gel was.

We both looked at the screen and she started to move the transducer around. I smiled as I looked at the screen and Garrett took a hold of my hand as she pointed out the head, legs and checked everything over. I couldn't believe that there was tiny baby growing inside my belly.

"Did you guys want to know the sex?" She asked as she continued to move the transducer around on my belly.

"Yes," I answered as I looked over at Garrett and we both nodded our heads.

"Okay, let's see here," she said as we all continued to look at the screen. "It looks like you two are going to have a girl," she said with a smile.

"A girl?" I asked and she nodded her head as I felt tears come to my eyes.

"We're having a girl," Garrett mumbled into my ear and I smiled as I looked over at him.

He smiled back at me and gave me a kiss before we looked back at the screen.

"I'm going to print some pictures out for you guys to take home," she said as she handed me a towel to clean my belly off with.

"Everything looks good?" Garrett asked as he looked over at her.

"Yes, everything looks perfect," she answered as she started to print some pictures while I cleaned the gunk off of my belly.

I slowly sat up on the bed and pulled my top back down over my belly. The nurse handed me a few pictures of the baby.

"Thank you," I said as I slowly stood up from the bed and we exited the room.

We left the office and went back out to Garrett's car. He helped me get in and closed the door before he went over to the driver's side. He got in and closed the door as he started the vehicle up.

"We're having a girl," I said with a smile as I looked through the pictures that we were given.

"She's going to be beautiful, just like her mother," Garrett said as he looked through the pictures with me and I gave him a kiss.

The next day came and we decided that we were going to have a gender reveal party for everyone at the house. We already knew what the sex was, but we wanted to have a party to show everyone else what we were having. Different sweets and foods were made in the colors of pink and blue. We decided to go with filling a box up with balloons and sealing it shut so that everyone would find out what we're having.

People started to show up and it was fun trying to see what people were guessing the gender of the baby. It was an even amount of girls and boys pretty much and I couldn't wait to share the news with them.

I was standing in the kitchen with Jess while we snacked on the chips and cheese that were there.

"So, how has your morning sickness been?" She asked before she took a sip of her drink.

"Terrible," I answered as I shook my head. "I just hope it doesn't last," I added as Garrett walked to where we were.

"You feeling okay?" He asked as he looked at me.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said with a smile before he gave me a kiss.

"So, you guys going to hint to me what you are having or what?" Jess said before she took another bite of a carrot.

"We are going to announce it soon," I said as Garrett wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"How about we do it now?" Garrett asked as he looked at me.

"Yes, now, please," Jess said with a smile.

We headed into the living room and stood in front of everyone where the box was with the colored balloons inside.

"Okay, we know a lot of you are wondering what we are having, so we are going to go ahead and announce it. How many people think it's going to be a boy?" I asked as people started to put their hands up. "And how many think it's going to be a girl?" I asked and the others, including Jess, put their hands up. "Let's find out," I said as we started to undo the tape on the box.

We opened up the lid on the box and pink balloons shot up in the air. Everyone started clapping and cheering for us.

"I knew it!" Jess yelled as she came over and hugged me. "I can't wait to start buying stuff," she said as she pulled back from the hug.

Everyone congratulated us and we couldn't be happier.

After the party was over and everything was cleaned up, I was snuggled up against Garrett on the couch. He had his arm around me while I rested my head against his chest.

"You know what I was thinking?" He asked and I tilted my head up to look at him. "I was thinking that we should start looking for a new place, something bigger."

"I was thinking the same thing the other day," I said as I rested my head back against his chest.

"We'll have to start looking around. Don't want to wait too long," he said before a placed a kiss on top of my head.

Things were starting to change. We got married, found out that we were going to have a baby, and now we needed to look for a new house. It was an exciting time in our lives and I was looking forward to it.

CHAPTER 13

3 MONTHS LATER

25 WEEKS PREGNANT

I was laying in the bed with Garrett. He had my top pushed up over my bump and was talking to the baby.

"I can't wait to meet you, sweetie," he said before he lightly kissed the skin. "Just don't gang up on me with your mother," he whispered and I started to chuckle.

We felt her move around on the inside and I smiled as I looked at Garrett. He was being so supportive and helpful with everything. I would get upset easily, but that was something added when pregnancy occurs.

We had decided to move into a new house after the discussion we had together. It was a bigger house, actually a little closer to where my parents lived, two-story, huge back yard and pool. It was a really nice place and we were ready for our new arrival.

That evening, I was in the bedroom getting ready to go out with Garrett. We were going out to dinner with Jess and Brad, a double date. As I went through my clothes, I could decide what to wear.

"I hate this," I said as Garrett walked into the bedroom.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he slipped his shirt on that was laying on the bed.

"I just feel like nothing fits right anymore," I said in an annoyed voice.

"You're pregnant, honey. It's okay," he said as he came over to help me decide on what to wear. "You'll look beautiful in anything that you wear," he said before he gave me a kiss.

I grabbed a multi colored plaid flannel fitted maternity top and put it on over my cami. I slipped my maternity skinny jeans on and Garrett helped with my boots. He helped me up from the bed and gave me another kiss.

"We should get going. We are going to be late," I said as I grabbed my purse from the bed.

We left the house and headed towards the restaurant to meet up with Jess and Brad. We decided to go the Palm Restaurant. As soon as we pulled up, we saw Jess and Brad waiting for us outside. Garrett helped me out of the car and we walked over to where they were standing.

"Hey, girl. You look great," Jess said as she gave me a hug.

"Thanks. So do you," I said as I pulled back from the hug to look at her.

Garrett and Brad walked in front of us as we headed inside.

"So, how are things going?" I quietly asked her as we followed behind them.

"Great, really great," she answered with a smile and I smiled back at her.

We were taken to a table and I sat down beside Garrett as Jess and Brad sat on the other side of the table. We opened up our menus and started to look through everything. We ordered our drinks and a few appetizers.

"So, have you guys decided on a name yet?" Jess asked as she looked at us.

"We have been going back and forth with names, but haven't decided yet," I said with a smile as I looked over a Garrett.

"There are so many cute names out there these days," Jess said and I nodded my head before I took a sip of my water.

"It's been an amazing experience so far," Garrett said as he glanced over at me at I nodded my head.

"Did you guys get everything moved in?" Brad asked as he looked at Garrett.

"Yeah, we got everything moved in and put away. We need to start working on the baby's room, but the house that we live in now is much bigger and better. There's so much more space," Garrett answered and I nodded my head.

Our food was brought out to us and I decided to go with the Chicken Parmigiana while Garrett decided to get Prime New York Strip Steak. We continued to talk amongst each other while we ate. The food was so good and I was glad that we decided to go out that night.

After we were done eating, we decided to head out of the restaurant. As soon as we stepped outside, we were met with flashes from cameras. Garrett wrapped an arm around me and held me close as we continued to walk towards our car. Jess and Brad followed behind us.

"When is the baby due?"

"You guys look great!"

The questions continued as we made our way over to the parking lot. We reached our car and went to get inside.

"We'll follow you guys!" Jess shouted and I nodded my head as I closed my door.

They were going to head back to our house with us to see everything and hang out a little longer. Garrett slowly backed out of the parking spot and headed out of the parking lot.

"That was good. I'm so full right now," he said as he reached over and took my hand in his.

"Same here," I said as I placed my hand on my bump. "I think we're both full over here," I said with a smile as I glanced over at him.

He smiled back and leaned over to give me a kiss as we sat at the red light.

"I'm glad we went out," I said as I continued to look at him.

"Me too," he said as the light turned green as he started to drive.

Just as started to go through the intersection, I saw bright lights approaching from my side and I looked over to see a car speeding through the light. Everything went black.

JESS'S POV

"Do you know where they live, in case we get lost?" Brad asked as we waited at the red light behind Garrett's car.

"Yeah, I have been there a couple times," I answered as the light turned green and Garrett started to go.

Brad slowly started to go and I saw a car speeding through the intersection and slam right into the passenger's side of Garrett's car.

"Oh my god!" I shouted as watched the driver's side smack off of a pole that was there. "Oh my god, Brad!" I shouted as he put the car in park and we quickly got out. "CASSIE!" I shouted as I quickly went over to her side and noticed that the window on her side was busted out and her head was rested up against the seat. "CASSIE!" I shouted again as I tried to get her attention, but she wasn't responding.

"GARRETT!" Brad shouted as he got the driver's side door open.

"Oh my god," I said as I looked at Cassie and saw that there was blood coming from a big gash on her forehead. "Cassie, open your eyes!" I shouted as I tried to get her door open, but it wouldn't open up. "Cassie, please!" I shouted as tears started to go down my cheeks.

"I called 911! They are on their way!" A stranger shouted as people started to come over.

"He's not responding!" Brad shouted from the other side of the car.

"Check for his pulse!" I shouted as I reached in through the window to check Cassie's.

"He has a pulse," Brad said as he checked.

"Her's is weak. Cassie, come on!" I shouted as I tried to get her to wake up, but she wasn't moving.

I could hear sirens in the distance as I started to sob.

"Oh my god, Garrett!" I heard Brad say and I looked over to see that Garrett's eyes were slowly opening. "Garrett, I'm right here. Just hang in there, okay?"

"Cass," I heard Garrett say in a painful voice as he went to turn his head to the side.

"Garrett! Don't move! Brad, keep him still," I shouted as I looked at Cassie again.

"Cass," I heard Garrett say again in a painful voice and I swallowed hard.

CASSIE'S POV

Everything was black, but I could hear someone shouting my name in the distance. It sounded like Jess's voice, but I couldn't make it out. I struggled as I tried to get my eyes open.

"Come on, Cassie!" I heard Jess's voice say and my eyes fluttered open. "Cassie!" I heard her say again as I blinked my eyes and she came into focus.

I winced as I felt pain all over from my head down to my back.

"Cassie, hang in there, okay?" I heard Jess say to me and I could hear sirens in the distance.

"Gar," I managed to get out in a painful voice and I felt my eyes closing again.

"CASS! STAY AWAKE!" I heard Jess shouting at me, but I felt like I couldn't hang on anymore.

JESS'S POV

I watched as Cassie's eyes closed again and I started to sob again.

"CASSIE!" I shouted as I tried to get her to open her eyes again, but they stayed shut.

"GARRETT!" Brad shouted as ambulances, police cars, and a fire truck pulled up. "Garrett! Open your eyes!" He shouted and I looked over to see that Garrett's eyes were closed again.

As the medics came over, we slowly moved back and I stood there with Brad while he held me close. I watched as they quickly moved around, trying to get both Garrett and Cassie out of the vehicle. I couldn't believe what happened. The accident, it just happened so fast that no one had time to react to it.

"Did you witness the accident that happened tonight?" A police officer as we continued to stand there and watch.

"Y-yes," I stuttered as tears poured down my cheeks. "W-we were...we were right behind them. Are they going to be okay?" I asked as I brought my hands up to my mouth.

"We're not sure yet. Can you tell me exactly what happened?" The police officer asked as he looked at us.

"Our light turned green and they started to go through, but this car came out of nowhere and smashed right into the passenger's side," Brad said as I reached up to wipe tears away.

I watched as the fireman brought out the jaws of life to Cassie's side.

"Sh-she's pregnant," I said as I looked at the officer and he looked over.

"How far along is she?" The medic shouted as she looked over in our direction.

"6 months, I believe," I answered as more tears came out of my eyes and my bottom jaw quivered. "Are they going to be okay?" I asked as I watched what they were doing.

"They are both in good hands," the officer stated.

I watched as they started to cut the door off of the passenger's side of the vehicle. I stood there and rested my head against Brad's chest as more tears came out of my eyes. The firemen pulled the door off of the car and set it on the ground next to them.

"Get a gurney over here now!" The medic shouted as she looked over her shoulder and continued to work with Cassie.

The other medic rolled the gurney over and I watched as they carefully extracted Cassie out of the vehicle. They rested her down on top of the gurney, covered her lower body with a sheet, and strapped her down.

"Oh my god," I whispered as I brought my hands up to my face

"It's okay," Brad quietly said as he tried to comfort me.

I walked with the medics as they quickly wheeled Cassie over to the ambulance that was waiting. As we reached the ambulance, I glanced over to see Garrett being loaded into another ambulance.

"Are you coming with her?" The one medic asked as she looked at me and I nodded my head.

"Follow us," I said as I looked at Brad and he nodded his head before I climbed into the back of the ambulance.

I sat down on the empty seat by Cassie and watched as they got her ready to go. They were announcing her stats over the radio as the doors shut. I sat there and cried as I looked at her. She seemed so lifeless, but I was hoping that she was going to be alright.

We arrived at the hospital a short time later and the back of the ambulance was opened as the medics started shouting her stats out. I got out after they got Cassie out and followed behind them into the hospital.

I was stopped by a nurse and brought into a room to wait in. As tears streamed down my cheeks, I quickly got my phone out and called Cassie's mom.

"Hello," I heard Melissa said as she answered the phone.

"Melissa," I said in a sad voice. "It's...Jess," I added as I felt more tears coming to my eyes.

"Jess? Is everything okay? Is something wrong?" She asked and I started to sob. "Jess, what's wrong?" She asked in a concerned voice.

"Cassie and Garrett...they were in an accident," I said as I brought my other hand up to my face and started to sob.

"Oh my god, are they okay?" She asked as she started to panic.

"I don't know," I answered as I shook my head.

"We're on our way," she said before she started to sob and hung up the phone.

I brought both of my hands up to my face and started to sob as I thought about what happened with Garrett and Cassie. I felt arms go around me and pull me into a hug.

"It's okay," I heard Brad's voice say as he held me and kissed the top of my head.

I sobbed into his shoulder and gripped onto his shirt. I couldn't believe what had happened.

A few minutes later, I heard Melissa's voice coming down the hallway asking where Cassie was. The nurse brought her into the room that we were in and I immediately went over to her as I started to break down again.

"Oh my god," Melissa said as she hugged me and started to cry, also. "What happened, Jess?" She asked as she pulled back from me.

"A guy...he...he went through the red light," I said through a sob. "She was unresponsive when they brought her in."

"No," she said through a sob and hugged me again. "What about Garrett?"

"He wasn't responding either," Brad answered for me as I tried to be strong, but it was hard.

I opened up my eyes and saw Garrett's parents coming into the waiting room. They were both an emotional mess as they came over to where we were. I stood back with Brad as he held me and watched as Kristi and Melissa sobbed together. I was hoping that Garrett, Cassie, and the baby were going to be okay. They had to be okay because I don't know what I would do if I lost any of them.

CHAPTER 14

JESS'S POV

A little over an hour had passed and we still haven't heard anything about either Cassie or Garrett as far as how they were doing. I was sitting in between Melissa and Brad. Brad held my hand and tried to keep me calm, but I was worrying about what was going on with the two of them.

I felt someone come into the room and I looked over to see a tan mall coming in a white lab coat. I reached over and touched Melissa's shoulder to bring her out of her thoughts. She looked over at me and I motioned over towards the doctor.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Roth. I oversaw what happened with Garrett and Cassie," the man said as he slowly came towards us.

"Yes, I'm Cassie's mom. Are they okay?" Melissa asked as she sat on the edge of her seat.

"When Cassie was brought in, she was unresponsive," Dr. Roth started to say and I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. "She had a concussion at the moment, some cuts and stitches, and also some bruising."

"What about the baby? Is the baby okay?" Kenny asked as all of us looked at the doctor.

"After looking at the ultrasound, the baby is healthy as can be," Dr. Roth said with a smile.

"Is she awake?" Melissa asked as a few tears went down her cheeks.

"She is not awake at the moment. We had to give her some pain medication to keep her relaxed for the baby," Dr. Roth explained as I glanced over at Melissa and she nodded her head as she wiped some tears away.

"What about Garrett? Is he okay?" Kristi asked as Robert wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"When Garrett was brought in, he was also unresponsive. He also has come cuts and bruising on his body," Dr. Roth started to explain.

"Is he awake?" Robert asked as we looked at him.

"He has not woken up since he was brought in. He is in critical condition at the moment," Dr. Roth explained.

"Oh my god," Kristi said as tears streamed down her cheeks and I bought my hand up to my mouth. "Can...can we see him?"

"Yes, I can bring everyone to their rooms," Dr. Roth said as we all stood up.

The doctor walked out of the room and all of us followed behind him. I looked around as I saw the different patients in the different rooms. I reached up and wiped a couple tears away as the doctor walked into one of the rooms, which was Cassie's. As soon as I saw her, more tears came out of my eyes. She had some bruising and cuts on her face and arms. The big gash on her forehead was now stitched shut. She also had oxygen coming in through her nose.

"Oh, sweetie," Melissa said as she went over to the bed and lightly placed a kiss on Cassie's cheek.

"She'll be okay," Kristi said as she tried to comfort Melissa.

"Garrett is right down the hall from her," Dr. Roth said and Kristi and Robert followed out of the room behind him.

"Cassie, mommy's here," Melissa said as she gently picked Cassie's hand up and held onto it.

I reached up and wiped the tears away that were going down my cheeks as Brad lightly rubbed my shoulder to let me know that he was there for me.

"We'll be right back," I said as I lightly touched Melissa's shoulder and she nodded her head as we walked out of the room.

We walked down the hall and saw Kristi and Robert in the room that Garrett was in. We stood there for a moment while Kristi broke down in Robert's arms. I lightly knocked at the door and Kristi glanced over to see us standing there.

"Come in," Kristi said as she motioned for us to come in.

I slowly walked in and as I came to the foot of Garrett's bed, I noticed that he was hooked up to a ventilator.

"Oh my god," I quietly said as I started to break down and brought my hand up to my mouth.

I turned and Brad took me in his arms as he held me close. I couldn't believe that the whole accident had happened and now we had to pray that Garrett would wake up and all 3 of them would be okay.

CASSIE'S POV

I heard a beeping sound and someone holding onto my hand. I slowly opened my eyes as I felt some pain on my face, arms, and back.

"Cassie?" I heard my mom's voice say and I slowly turned my head to see her sitting on a chair beside me.

"Mom?" I asked as I lifted my head and noticed that I was in a hospital bed.

"Oh, sweetie. You're okay," she said as she stood up and I looked at her with a confused look on my face.

"Mom, dad, what happened?" I asked as I looked back and forth at the both of them. "Where's Garrett?" I asked as I looked around the room for him.

"Sweetie," my mom started to say as she looked over at my dad and then back at me. "You were in a car accident," she said as tears started to come to her eyes.

"Wh-where's Garrett?" I asked as I looked around for him again. "Is...is Garrett okay?" I asked as I slowly sat up and winced.

"Cassie, take it easy," my dad said as he moved forward to stop me from getting up.

"No, where's Garrett?" I asked as I tried to get up, but my parents stopped me.

"He's just down the hall," my mom answered as she wiped some tears away.

"I want to go and see him," I said as I tried to get up, but they refused to let me.

"Sweetie, you can't go see him right now," my dad said as I looked at him.

"Why?" I asked as I started to get upset and tears started to come to my eyes. "Why can't I go see my husband?" I asked as tears streamed down my cheeks.

My mom looked up at my dad and then back at me as more tears came to her eyes.

"Cass, he's...he's in critical condition right now," she said as she wiped some tears away.

"What?" I quietly asked as more tears came out of my eyes and I started to shake my head. "You're lying to me," I said as my bottom lip trembled.

"Cass," I heard Jess's voice say and I looked over to see her and Brad coming into the room that I was in.

"Jess," I said as she came over to me and we hugged. "Garrett, did you see him?" I asked as I pulled back to look at her.

She started to nod her head as more tears came to her eyes. She looked as though she had been crying for quite some time. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Is...is he okay?" I asked as I looked into her eyes for an answer. "Is he awake?" I asked and she shook her head no.

I brought my hands up to my face and started to sob. Jess wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into her shoulder as we both sobbed together. I needed Garrett to be okay. He had to be okay. We were having a baby together and I couldn't do it without him in my life.

Once we both calmed down, she was sitting beside me on the bed and my mom was sitting on the chair right in front of me while my dad and Brad were visiting Garrett's room.

"I need to see him," I said before I looked at my mom and Jess. "I need to be with him."

"Cass, I think you need to just-" my mom started to say, but I cut her off.

"No, I need to see him," I said as I looked at her.

"Let me see if we can get you in there," Jess said as she stood up from the bed and headed out into the hallway.

I sat there for a couple minutes as I placed a hand on my belly and felt her kicking. Jess came back into the room.

"They said you can go see him for a little bit, but you need to come back and rest," Jess said as she came over to me.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and Jess took my one arm while my mom took my other arm. I slowly stood up from the bed and winced as I felt pain.

"Easy," my mom said as she stood there with me and I let out the breath I had been holding in.

"You okay?" Jess asked and I nodded my head as they helped me walk over towards the door.

We stepped out into the hallway and I looked up to see that Brad and my dad were standing outside the room talking. As soon as I stepped into the room Garrett was in, tears immediately came to my eyes. My bottom lip trembled as tears rolled down my cheeks.

"It's okay, sweetie," my mom said as they helped me over towards his bed.

Kristi and Robert stood up as soon as they saw me coming into the room. Kristi immediately hugged me and we sobbed together.

"I'm glad you're okay," I heard Kristi say as we continued to hug.

I slowly pulled back from her and sniffled as I looked at Garrett. He had machines hooked up to him and was on a ventilator. Kristi held onto my hand as I stepped closer towards his bed. She helped me sit down on the chair that was next to the bed. My hand shook as I reached out and gently placed my hand on top of his arm. I looked down at the floor and started to break down in sobs and tears as I reached up with my other hand to cover my face.

"Cass," I heard Kristi said as she kneeled in front of me and brought me in to hug again. "We have to be strong for him," she said as I sobbed into her shoulder.

"I...can't...lose him," I said through a sob as she continued to comfort me and I could hear Jess and my mom crying in the background.

She tried to comfort me the best that she could, but I just felt so broken. I didn't know what was going to happen with Garrett, but he needed to be okay. I needed him in my life.

CHAPTER 15

CASSIE'S POV

The next morning came and I couldn't get much sleep the night before. I kept thinking about Garrett and wondering if he was going to be okay. I heard a light knock at the door and I looked over to see a nurse bringing in a tray of food.

"Good morning. Here is your breakfast," she said as she set the tray down on the table and moved it closer to my bed.

"Thank you," I quietly said as I looked at her.

"Do you need anything else before I go?" She asked and I shook my head no. "Okay, sweetie. Have a good day," she said before she headed out of the room and closed the door behind her.

I continued to sit there, rested back against my pillows, as I heard another knock at the door. I looked over and saw Jess coming into the room. She was dressed in her hospital scrubs.

"Hey," she said as she came over to my bed. "How are you doing this morning?" She asked as she sat down on the chair beside my bed.

"I want to see Garrett," I said as I looked over at her and she nodded her head.

"They need to make sure that you are healthy enough to be with him. You were just in a car accident and they are concerned about you and the baby," she said as she looked at me.

"I'm fine, Jess. We are both fine," I said as I continued to look at her.

"Cass, it's just a precaution," she said.

"Who did it?" I asked as I looked up at the ceiling and then over at her. "Who..caused this?"

"A drunk driver," she quietly said as she looked down at the floor. "He died at the scene."

"He has to be okay," I said as I got choked up and Jess stood up from her chair.

"He will be, Cass," she said as she sat down on the bed beside me.

"You don't know that, Jess," I said as I looked at her with tears going down my cheeks.

"You have to have faith. You have to be strong for him. He is a tough guy. He will get through this," she explained as I reached up to wipe tears away and nodded my head. "How's the baby doing? Is she still moving around?"

"Yeah," I said as I lightly placed my hands on top of my belly.

"That's good. Have you guys talked about names at all?" She asked before she took a sip of her coffee.

"We've been through around names recently. There are just...so many out there that we like," I said as I glanced at her and she smiled a little at me.

"Well, I'm sure that she will be beautiful," she said and I nodded my head.

"Will you go and check on Garrett for me?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"Sure, I can do that," Jess said as she nodded her head and stood up from the chair. "Try to eat something and get some rest," she added as she started to walk over towards the door.

After she left the room, I rested back against the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Jess was right, I needed to be strong for Garrett and I also had to have faith that he would make it through this.

I heard another knock at the door and I looked over to see Dr. Roth coming into the room.

"Good morning, Cassie. How are you feeling today?" He asked as he took the stethoscope from around his neck.

"I'm a little sore, but I feel okay," I answered as he listened to my heart.

I looked up at him as he continued to listen.

"How's the baby doing this morning?" He asked as he moved the sheet down a little and moved my hospital gown up, exposing my belly.

"Good. She's been kicking and moving," I said as he listened.

"Good," he said as he took the stethoscope and placed it back around his neck. "Where are you sore at?" He asked as he lightly felt around on my belly and sides.

"My head hurts a little, my neck, arms," I said as he continued to check me over.

"Okay, you may be sore for a few days, but everything else seems good," he explained and I nodded my head.

"Can I see Garrett?" I asked as I looked up at him again.

"I'm sure that we could work something out for that. As long as you are feeling up to it, you can definitely go and see him, but you need to eat first," he said as he motioned over to the tray that was sitting on the table next to my bed.

"Okay, I will," I said as I nodded my head.

"If you need anything, just let one of the nurses know. I will be back to check on you later," he said as he started to walk over towards the door.

As soon as he left the room, my parents came walking in.

"Oh, you're awake," my mom said as she walked over towards my bed.

"Yeah," I said as I sat up a little and she hugged me.

"How are you feeling?" She asked before she placed a kiss on my forehead.

"I'm okay," I said as my dad kissed my forehead as well.

"You feel any pain or anything?" My dad asked as my mom sat down on the chair beside the bed.

"A little, but nothing major," I said as I rested back against my pillows.

"Did you eat anything this morning?" My mom asked as she looked over at my tray of food.

"No, but I need to," I said as she stood up and moved the tray over top of my bed. "Thanks," I said as I sat up a little and she helped me open some things up.

After I ate some of the food, my mom helped me to Garrett's room. As soon as I walked in, I saw Kristi sitting beside his bed while she looked at him. She looked over her shoulder and saw us standing there.

"Good morning," she said with a smile as I made my way over towards where she was sitting.

"Morning," I said with a small smile as I glanced at her and then looked at Garrett.

He was still laying there in the same position. I felt tears start to come to my eyes again as Kristi hugged me. He was off the ventilator, at least, which was a good thing. It showed improvement.

"Here, you can sit here," Kristi said as she moved aside so I could sit in the chair beside the bed.

"Thanks," I quietly said as I gently sat down.

I looked at Garrett and the machines that were hooked up to him. His stats seemed to be better than the day before.

"We're going to go get some coffee. Do you need anything?" My mom asked as she lightly touched my shoulder and I shook my head no as I continued to look at Garrett. "Okay, sweetie. We will be back," she said as she lightly rubbed my shoulder and then they left the room.

I swallowed hard as I gently took his hand in mine.

"Garrett," I quietly said, hoping that he would open his eyes. "I'm right here with you and I'm not going anywhere," I said as I continued to look at him. "I love you so much," I said as tears came to my eyes and my bottom lip trembled. "Please wake up," I quietly said as the tears left my eyes and started to go down my cheeks.

I tilted my head down and closed my eyes as I started to pray that he would wake up soon.

About 30 minutes later, I was sitting with Garrett when I felt movement in his fingers. I looked down to see that his fingers were starting to move and I slowly stood up from the chair.

"Garrett," I said as I looked at his face and his eyes slowly started to open.

I heard both of our parents coming into the room and I glanced over my shoulder.

"Get the doctor. He's waking up," I said before I looked back at him. "Garrett, baby," I said as he blinked his eyes a few times before he looked at me. "Hey," I said with a small smile as his eyes met mine.

"Hi," he quietly mumbled as he winced a little.

"I hear that someone is waking up," I heard Dr. Roth say from behind me and I moved off to the side as I continued to hold Garrett's hand. "Hi, Garrett. I'm Dr. Roth," he said as he took his flashlight out of his pocket and looked into Garrett's eyes. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked as he continued to check Garrett over.

"We were in a car accident," Garrett mumbled as he glanced over at me.

"Do you feel pain anywhere?" Dr. Roth asked as he stood there.

"Yeah, my head, neck, and back all hurt," Garrett answered as he looked at the doctor.

"Okay, we will give you some pain meds for that. Are you feeling okay otherwise?" Dr. Roth asked him and he nodded his head. "Okay, I will have a nurse come in and give you something for the pain," he said as he walked over to leave the room.

"You okay?" He asked as he looked over at me.

"Yeah," I said with a small smile as I nodded my head and leaned down to give him a kiss. "You had me scared," I said as tears came to my eyes again.

"It's okay," he said with a small smile as he reached his hand over to touch my belly. "Is she okay? I was worried about the both of you," he said as he lightly touched my belly.

"Yeah, we're both okay," I said as I looked down at him and gave him another kiss.

I was very grateful that Garrett had woken up and wasn't in too much pain. Jess was right, he was strong and going to be okay.

CHAPTER 16

CASSIE'S POV

I quickly sat up on the bed as I breathed heavily after having another nightmare about the accident. I looked over to see that Garrett was still asleep in the bed beside me.

A few days had passed since the accident and Garrett and I were both back at home. The pain had subsided for the most part and we were trying to get back to our normal, daily lives, but it was hard. It was hard for me to sleep at night because all I could think about was the accident happening over and over again.

I quietly got out of the bed and made my way out of the bedroom. I walked down the hall and went into the bathroom as I quietly closed the door behind me. I walked over to the sink and stood in front of the mirror as I looked at my reflection. I could feel my hands shaking and my heart continued to pound as I stood there. The nightmares were becoming too much.

I looked down at the sink as I felt tears coming my eyes. As I squeezed my eyes shut, I could feel my hands shaking slightly against the counter. I took a couple deep breaths as I tried to calm myself down. I knew that being this stressed out wasn't good for the baby, but I couldn't help it.

I heard the door open from behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see Garrett peeking his head into the bathroom.

"Cass, you okay?" He asked as he looked over at me.

"N-No," I stuttered as my voice trembled and I could feel my hands shaking more.

"Cassie, what's wrong?" He asked in a concerned voice as he walked over to me.

I shook my head as my bottom lip trembled and I turned to face him. He wrapped his arms around me and brought me into a hug as I rested my head against his chest.

"It's okay," he quietly said before he kissed the top of my head.

"The nightmares..." I started to say and he pulled back to look at me.

"About the accident?" He asked and I nodded my head as he wiped the tears away with his thumbs. "It's okay. We are both fine," he said as he looked into my eyes.

"I know," I quietly said as I nodded my head and he gave me a kiss.

"Let's go lay back down," he suggested as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and we walked out of the bathroom together.

We both got back into the bed and I rested my head against his chest as he held me close. I felt my eyes start to get heavy again and I closed them as I fell back asleep.

The next time I opened up my eyes, I looked over to see that it was a little after 9 and the sun was peeking through the blind in the bedroom. I slowly sat up on the bed as I rested my hand on my belly. I brought my legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up before I made my way out of the bedroom.

I stepped out in the hallway and made my way down the hall as I reached the top of the steps. I slowly started to come down them as I looked to see where Garrett was. As I walked into the kitchen, I saw him making us some breakfast.

"Hey," he said as I walked over to him. "Morning," he said before he placed a kiss on my forehead and held me close.

"Morning," I said as I rested my head against his chest.

"I figured that I would let you sleep in," he said as he moved the eggs around in the pan.

"Thank you," I said as I looked at him and gave him a kiss.

"You hungry?" He asked as he lightly rubbed my back.

"Starving," I said as I walked over to the fridge and opened the door up. "I'm craving Chocolate Milk right now," I said as I grabbed the milk and Hershey Syrup from the fridge.

I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and placed it on the counter. I filled the glass up with milk and then added some syrup to it. I grabbed the spoon and started to stir.

"Do you want some toast?" He asked as he grabbed the loaf of bread from the counter and opened it up.

"Yes, please," I said as I put the milk and syrup back.

Once the food was done, we sat down together and started to eat.

"I think Jess and Brad are going to come visit this evening. Is that okay with you?" He asked as he glanced over at me.

"Yeah, that's fine," I said as I grabbed my glass. "We could get a couple pizzas or something," I said before I took a sip.

"Sounds good to me," he said and we continued to eat.

Later that evening, we were sitting in the living room as we waited for Jess and Brad to get there. The doorbell went off and we both got up off the couch. Garrett went over to answer the door while I stood there with my hands on my tummy. He opened the door and Jess and Brad were standing there.

"Hey," Jess said as Garrett moved aside as she came in the house.

"Hey," I said with a smile as she gave me a hug.

"How are you feeling?" She asked as she looked at me.

"Better," I said with a small smile as we walked into the kitchen together with the pizzas.

"That's good," she said as she set the pizza boxes down on the counter as I grabbed the plates out of the cupboards. "We brought a movie with us, too," she said as she set the box down on the counter.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile as we opened up the pizza boxes.

We each got a couple slices of pizza and headed out to the living room. Garrett got a movie in while I started to eat. He sat down in between Jess and I on the couch. The movie started and everyone kept eating while it played.

Halfway through the movie, I got up from the couch and went into the kitchen. I set my plate down on the counter as I felt a slight cramp on my side. I placed my hand there and rested my other hand on the counter.

"I'm still hungry," Jess said as she came into the kitchen with a smile on her face. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked as her smiled faded and she set her plate down on the counter as she stood in front of me.

"Nothing," I lied as I felt the pain start to go away. "Baby must have kicked," I said with a small smile as I glanced at her.

"You sure you're okay?" She worried as she looked at me and I nodded my head.

"Yeah," I said as I opened the pizza box up and grabbed another slice.

We headed back into the living room together and kept watching the movie together.

The movie was almost over and my bladder wasn't going to wait. I went upstairs to use the bathroom while they continued to finish watching the movie.

After I was done going to the bathroom, I stood at the sink to wash my hands. Just as I grabbed the towel to dry my hands, I felt more cramping on my side. I winced as I set the towel down on the sink and put my hand on my side. I took a couple deep breaths, but felt the pain intensify as I continued to stand there.

"Oh, god," I quietly said as I winced and felt more pain, which brought me down to my knees.

I turned over and sat down on the floor as I leaned back against the wall and winced. I didn't know what was wrong, but I was hoping that nothing was wrong with the baby.

A couple minutes had passed and I heard a light knock at the door.

"Cass, you okay in there?" I heard Jess's voice say from the other side of the door. "I'm coming in," she said as she started to open the door. "I just wanted to say..." She started to say, but then saw me on the floor. "Cass! What's wrong?" She asked as she opened the door and quickly came over to me.

"It...hurts," I said as I continued to clutch my belly and winced.

"GARRETT!" Jess shouted as she turned around, looking towards the door. "GARRETT!" She shouted again as I leaned my head back against the wall and gritted my teeth. "Just breathe, Cass. Take some deep breaths," she instructed.

"What's wrong?" We heard Garrett ask from the hallway before he entered the bathroom with Brad behind him. "Cassie, what's wrong?" He asked as he quickly came over and kneeled down beside me.

"It...hurts," I said through a sob as I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Call 911!" Jess shouted at Brad as I let out a shaky breath. "Breathe, Cassie," she said again and I took a deep breath.

"It's okay, baby," Garrett said as he started to get nervous as to what could be wrong.

"They said they should be here in a few minutes," Brad said as he came back into the bathroom. "I'm going to wait for them outside," he said before he quickly left the bathroom again.

"It hurts," I said as I rested my head back against the wall and winced.

"Take some deep breaths, Cass," Garrett said as he took a hold of my hand.

"Cass, are you bleeding at all?" Jess asked and I shook my head.

"I don't...think so," I struggled to get out as the pain continued.

"Do you think we should get her downstairs?" Garrett asked as he looked over a Jess.

"Yeah, let's get her down there," Jess responded and they helped me up from the floor.

They started to walk me over towards the door and I stopped as I doubled over in pain.

"Just breathe, Cassie," Jess said and I let out another shaky breath.

"It's okay, baby. Just take your time," Garrett said and we slowly walked out of the bathroom.

"It hurts so bad," I said as tears came down my cheeks and we walked down the hall.

"We're almost there," Garrett said as we reached the top of the steps.

We slowly came down them and they helped me sit down on the couch. Garrett sat down beside me and took a hold of my head as I rested my head back against the couch.

"You're going to be okay, baby," he said as he moved some hair out of my face and I winced again.

A couple minutes passed and Brad was leading the paramedics into the house. They walked in carrying a couple bags with them.

"What's her name?" The one man asked Garrett.

"Cassie," Garrett answered as he moved off to the side to let them help me.

"Cassie, I'm Chris. Are you feeling some pain?" Chris asked as he opened up one of the bags that was on the floor.

"Yeah," I said in a shaky voice.

"Okay, how far along are you?" He asked as he grabbed an oxygen mask out of the bag.

"26 weeks," I responded as I winced again and he placed the oxygen mask over my face.

"Do you know if she is bleeding at all?" Chris asked as he glanced over at Garrett.

"She said that she wasn't," Garrett answered as Chris checked my blood pressure.

"Her BP is 143/94," Chris said as I rested my head back against the back of the couch and looked over at Garrett. "We need to get you to the hospital," he said as he started to put some stuff back into the bag.

"Is she going to be okay?" Jess asked as they helped me up from the couch.

"We will know more once we get her to the hospital," Chris answered as they helped me up from the couch and we made our way over to the front door.

Once they helped me out of the house, there was a gurney waiting outside. The medics helped me lay down on top of the gurney before they placed a sheet over me and strapped me down. I looked around for Garrett and he came to my side as I reached for his hand. He took a hold of my hand as the medics started to push me towards the ambulance. I looked up at him with tears in my eyes and I could see tears in his eyes, as well.

He let go of my hand as the medics loaded me into the back of the ambulance. I looked around for him and then he hopped up in as he sat down on my left side. He took ahold of my hand again as the driver shut the door.

"It's okay," Garrett quietly said as he gave my hand a kiss.

I winced as I felt more pain and squeezed his hand as I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths. As I opened my eyes to look at Garrett, I could hear the medic saying my stats. He continued to look at me as more tears formed in my eyes. I was hoping that our baby was alright and I think that we were both worried that something was majorly wrong.

"I love you, baby," Garrett quietly said as we continued to look at each other.

"I love you, too," I mouthed to him as my bottom lip trembled and hand started to shake a little in his.

A couple minutes passed and the ambulance pulled up by the ER entrance. The doors opened and the medic started to repeat the stats to the nurses that we waiting for us as they started to unload me. I let go of Garrett's hand as they brought the gurney out of the ambulance. They started to push me into the hospital as I looked around for him.

"Garrett," I said I continued to look around and I didn't see him. "Garrett!" I said a little louder as I tried to sit up.

"Cassie, just relax," Chris said as he held me down a little. "He's right here," he added as he motioned to where he was and I saw him following close behind.

The medics and nurses rushed me into a room and I layed there as they started to check to see what could be wrong.

"Is the baby okay?" I asked in a worried voice as I looked around at them.

"We're going to check that right now, Cassie," one of the nurses said as they brought the ultrasound machine over to the side of the bed.

I rested my head back against the pillow as I waited to hear what was wrong.

GARRETT'S POV

I was brought to a waiting room where I could be by myself. I stood there and ran my fingers through my hair as I rested my hands on the back of my head. I didn't know what was going on with Cassie and the baby, but I was hoping that they were both going to be okay.

I felt my phone go off from my pocket and I pulled it out to see that Jess was calling me.

"Hello," I answered as I held the phone to my ear.

"Have you heard anything yet? Are Cassie and the baby okay?" She asked in a worried voice.

"I haven't heard anything yet. She went back a few minutes ago," I answered as I started to slowly pace around the room.

"Okay, just call me or text me when you hear something. They will be okay, Garrett."

"I hope so," I said before I ended the call.

I continued to walk around the room and looked out the window as I waited to hear what was going on. I was hoping that I would hear good news and not bad.

"Garrett?" I heard a voice from behind me say and I turned around to see Dr. Roth standing there.

"Dr. Roth," I said as I started to walk towards him. "How are they doing?" I asked as I looked at him.

"Both Cassie and the baby are going to be okay," he answered and I let out a sigh of relief as I looked down at the floor.

"What caused this?" I asked as I looked back up at him.

"With everything that has been going on lately with the accident, it can cause emotional issues, especially during pregnancy, which can affect the baby. How has she been since she left the hospital?" He asked as he looked at me.

"She's been having nightmares since we got home. She said the accident keeps replaying in her head over and over again. It's been hard for her to get a good sleep in," I answered as I crossed my arms over my chest. "Is that what caused this?"

"We believe so. With the stress that she had been under, it can cause issues, such as the pain she was feeling. We gave her some medication to help with the pain and we are going to keep her here overnight for observation. As long as everything is okay, she can go home tomorrow, but I want her to take it easy from here on out," he explained and I nodded my head. "We actually moved her into a room. I can take you there, if you'd like."

"Yes, thank you," I said as I followed behind him out of the room and we walked to where her room was.

"She is asleep right now," Dr. Roth said as he slowed down and showed me where her room was.

"Thank you," I said and quietly entered the room and saw her laying there sleeping.

I walked over to the side of her bed and bent down as I placed a light kiss on her cheek. She was laying on her side facing me as I sat down on the chair beside the bed and took her hand in mine. I was glad that both her and the baby were going to be alright.

I felt my phone going off from my pocket again and I pulled it out to see that Melissa was calling. I stepped out of the room before I answered.

"Hello," I answered as I stood out in the hall.

"Garrett, Jess just called. Are they okay?" Melissa asked as she panicked.

"Yes, the doctor said that it was due to the stress that she was going through over the past week. He said that they are going to be fine, but that she needs to take it easy from now until she gives birth," I said as I leaned back against the wall.

"Oh, thank god. Is she awake?"

"She's asleep at the moment. The doctor gave her some meds to relax her. She hasn't been able to sleep very well with all the nightmares she keeps having."

"Okay, just keep us updated on how she is doing when she wakes up."

"I will," I said and then ended the call after we said our goodbyes.

I walked back into Cassie's room and slowly shut the door to block out the light. I sat back down on the chair beside her bed and rested my head back against the wall as I closed my eyes.

CASSIE'S POV

I slowly opened my eyes and blinked them a few times as they adjusted to the almost dark room I was in. I lifted my head up and noticed that Garrett was asleep in the chair beside the bed. I slowly sat up on the bed and swung my legs over the side of the bed.

"Hey, you okay?" I heard Garrett's voice from behind me and he came around to the front of me.

"Yeah, I just need to use the bathroom," I said as I went to stand up from the bed and he helped me. "Thanks," I said as I slowly made my way over to the bathroom.

Once I was done, I opened the door and slowly walked back out.

"You okay?" He asked as I slowly made my way back over to the bed.

"Yeah," I said as I got back in the bed and layed down as he helped cover me up. "Thanks," I said as I turned on my side and rested my head against the pillow.

"I'm glad that you are both alright," he said as he lightly rubbed my hip.

"Me too," I said before he gave me a kiss.

"I love you," he quietly said as he rested his forehead against mine.

"I love you, too," I said and he gave me another kiss.

I rested my head back against the pillow and felt my eyes start to get heavy again. I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep. I was glad that both the baby and I were going to be alright, but it was definitely a scary moment in my life. I was going to have to take it easy and relax.

CHAPTER 17

TWO MONTHS LATER

CASSIE'S POV

A couple months had passed since I had my scare and things were going good. I had only one more month to go before the baby was going to come and Garrett and I couldn't be more excited. We decided to go with the name Addison for the baby's name.

I was in Addison's room finishing up getting everything ready for her arrival. I grabbed the blanket and folded it before I draped it over the side of the crib.

"You should be resting," I heard Garrett's voice say from behind me and I looked over my shoulder to see him walking in the room.

"I just want to make sure that I have everything ready to go," I said as I turned around and placed a hand on my tummy.

"Not too much longer to go," he said with a smile before gave me a kiss.

"You ready for her to come?" I asked as I looked up at him.

"I've been more than ready," he answered with a small smile and I smiled back before I gave him another kiss.

Later that evening, I was resting on the couch watching TV while Garrett was making us something to eat. I felt Addison moving around in my belly and I smiled as I gently placed my hands there.

"She being active today?" Garrett asked as he came into the living room.

"Really active," I said as he kneeled down beside the couch and lightly placed his hand there.

"Hey, Addison," he started to say and I smiled at him. "Not too much longer and you will be here," he continued to say and then looked at me. "Your mom and I can't wait to meet you."

A few more weeks had passed by and Addison was to come at any time. I was laying in bed as I looked through the posts on Twitter. Garrett had gone out of town, but was supposed to be coming back that evening.

I started to feel a slight cramping on my one side and I placed my hand there. It was starting to happen every so often. I would get a cramp here and there throughout the day, but nothing steady. I rested back against the pillow and continued to go through posts. I felt the cramp come again on my side and I took a deep breath before I let it out. I closed out the Twitter app and rested back against the pillows as I looked at the clock on my phone. A few minutes passed and I felt another cramp coming on.

"God," I said as I breathed and the pain subsided.

That was three cramps in a matter of 15 minutes. I had a feeling that Addison was planning to make her appearance that day. I went through my contacts and clicked on my mom's number before I held the phone up to my ear.

"Hello," I heard my mom's voice say.

"Mom," I said as rested back against the pillow.

"Cassie, honey, is everything okay?" She asked as I felt another pain coming on.

"I think...I think I'm having...contractions," I said as I lightly rubbed my belly.

"Okay, sweetie. How far apart are they?" She asked as I felt the pain going away.

"I think they are around 7 minutes right now," I answered as I continued to rub my belly.

"Okay, is Garrett home yet?"

"No, he is supposed to come this evening."

"Okay, did they just start?"

"Yes, a little bit ago."

"You still have a lot of time to go, then. I will get ready and head over there."

"Okay, you still have a key, right?"

"Yes, sweetie. I will be right there," she said and then we ended the call.

I went back through my contacts and decided to call Garrett to tell him what was going on. I held the phone to my ear as I waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, honey. Is everything okay?" He asked as soon as he answered the phone.

"I don't want to alarm you, but I started having contractions a little bit ago," I said as I felt another one coming on and I lightly rubbed my belly again.

"Are they more constant that they have been?" He asked as I breathed through the contraction.

"Yeah, they are around every 7 minutes right now."

"Okay, do you need me to hurry back home? I can try to see if I can get on another flight."

"No," I said as I shook my head. "My mom said that since they just started, I have a lot of time to go. What time are you getting on your flight?"

"Around 12:30," he answered as I looked over at the clock to see that he still had a couple hours. "Are you sure that you don't want me to get on another flight?"

"I'm sure. I will keep you updated as to what is going on."

"Okay, I love you so much."

"I love you, too," I said with a smile before I ended the call.

I rested back against the pillows as I heard my mom coming into the house. I heard her coming up the steps and felt another contraction coming on as she entered the room. I winced as I placed my hand on my tummy.

"Okay, sweetie, just breathe," she said as she came over to the side of the bed and took my hand as she sat down.

"She's coming today," I said after the pain went away.

"Did you call Garrett?" She asked as she looked at me.

"Yeah, his flight leaves around 12:30," I said as I sat up a little more.

"Okay, are they still 7 minutes apart?" She asked as I pulled my hair up into a messy bun.

"Yeah," I answered as I looked at her.

"Okay, this is probably going to be a long day for you. I remember when I was pregnant with you, I was in labor for almost 20 hours," she said and I nodded my head. "Oh, sweetie. This is so exciting. Our little Addison is coming today," she said with a smile as she got excited and I felt another contraction coming on.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I tried to think good thoughts.

A few hours had passed and I was laying on my side as my mom rubbed my back while I went through another contraction. The contractions were still too far apart to head to the hospital, around 5 minutes, but they were strong.

"Sweetie, do you want me to call Jess to see if she can come here to help out?" My mom asked and I nodded my head as I handed her my phone.

"Jess, it's Melissa. Are you home at the moment? Do you have a work today?" She asked and nodded her head. "Okay, good. Cassie has been having contractions all morning and she was wondering if you would be able to come here," she said as she looked down at me. "Okay, I will let her know," she said as she nodded her head. "No, his flight just took off a little bit ago. Okay, we will see you soon," she said and then ended the calling.

"Is she coming?" I asked as I looked over at her.

"Yes, she is on her way, sweetie," she answered and I winced again as I felt another contraction coming on. "Just breathe," my mom said as she lightly rubbed my back and I closed my eyes and I breathed in and out.

"It hurts," I said I brought my one hand up to my face while my mom held the other.

"It's okay, sweetie. Just breathe. It should almost be over," she said as she lightly rubbed my arm.

The pain subsided just as Jess was coming into the house. She made her way upstairs and walked down the hall to the bedroom.

"I hear that someone is going to make their entrance today," Jess said as she made her way over to my bed.

"Yeah," I said as I lightly rubbed my belly and looked up at her.

"How far apart are they?" She asked as she sat down on the bed beside me.

"Around 5 minutes," I answered as I rested my head back against the pillow.

"You still have some ways to go before we need to head to the hospital. Is Garrett on his way home?" She asked.

"Yeah, his flight took off a little while ago. He said he should be home in a few hours," I answered as I looked over at her.

"Did your water break yet?" She asked as I felt another contraction coming on and I winced. "Just breathe, Cass," she said as she took a hold of my hand and my mom lightly rubbed my back again.

I took a deep breath in and slowly blew it out as I focused on something better.

"That's it, sweetie," my mom said as they continued to talk me through the contraction.

Another hour had passed and my mom had a washcloth over my forehead as I waited for the next contraction to come.

"You're doing great, sweetie," my mom said as I closed my eyes and she held the cloth over my forehead.

"Cassie, Garrett's here," I heard Jess said and I opened my eyes to see him coming into the room.

"Hey, honey," he said as he came over to the side of the bed and my mom moved out of the way.

"Hey," I quietly said as he gave me a kiss.

"I made it," he said with a smile as I felt another contraction coming on.

"Okay, that was 4 minutes that time," Jess said as she looked at the time on her phone. "She should probably get going to the hospital," she said as breathed in and out as I held onto Garrett's hand.

"It hurts so bad," I said as I squeezed Garrett's hand.

"Just breathe, babe," Garrett quietly said to me and I nodded my head as I continued to breathe.

Once the contraction was over, they helped me get ready to head to the hospital. As Garrett helped me down the steps, my mom and Jess got the hospital bags from the Addison's room. As I reached the bottom step, I felt another contraction come on. I gripped onto the railing of the steps and squeezed my eyes shut as Garrett held onto me.

"You're doing great, babe. Just breathe," he said as he coaxed me through the contraction.

Once it was over, we headed out to Garrett's vehicle and he helped me in while Jess and my mom put the bags in the back seat.

"Let us know once you get there. We will be there in a little while," my mom said and I nodded my head before Garrett closed the door.

I rested my head back against the seat as he went around and got into the driver's side. He got in, started up the vehicle, and backed out of the driveway.

"Are you doing okay?" He asked as he glanced over at me while he drove down the street.

"Yeah," I said as I felt him take a hold of my hand and lace his fingers with mine.

"I hope traffic Isn't too bad," he said as he continued to go down the street and I felt another contraction hitting me.

I placed my other hand on my tummy as I breathed and squeezed his hand.

A few minutes passed and we were stuck in some traffic. The contractions were still around 4 minutes apart, so I was hoping that we would make it there. I really didn't want to have the baby in the car.

"Come on," Garrett said as we continued to sit there and I felt another contraction coming on.

"God," I quietly said as I placed my hand on the dash and leaned forward a little.

"Cass," Garrett said as I felt his hand on my back. "We're almost there, okay? Just hang in there," he said as I nodded my head and breathed.

"How...much...longer?" I asked as the contraction continued.

"We're about five minutes away. Just hang in there," he said as he started to slowly move with traffic again.

A few minutes later, we pulled into the ER entrance and luckily enough, there was a parking spot close the entrance of the hospital. He pulled into the spot and quickly came around to my side to help me out. We made our way inside and I was immediately taken up to the maternity floor. I got changed into a gown, had a fetal monitor placed on my belly, and hooked up to an IV before the nurse came in to check me.

"Okay, let's see how you are progressing," she said as she reached under the sheet and checked me. "Okay, you are about 4 centimeters dilated at the moment," she said as she pulled her hand back out and covered me up. "You have 6 more to go before you can deliver. Are you wanting to get an epidural?" She asked as she threw her gloves away.

"Yes," I said as I nodded my head.

"Okay, I will have someone come in to do that for you. Did you need anything else before I leave?" She asked as she looked at me.

"No, I am good. Thank you," I said and she walked out of the room.

I rested my head back against the pillow and winced as I felt another contraction coming on. I tried to doing my breathing technique, but it was really strong and hurt.

"It's okay, baby. Just breathe," Garrett said as he tried to help me. "The worst is almost done," he said as he looked over at the monitor. "Okay, it's almost over," he said and I felt the pain start to go away.

"This hurts so bad," I said as I looked over at him.

"But it's all going to be worth it," he said with a small smile before he gave me a kiss.

A couple more hours had passed and I had gotten the epidural. I was currently laying the bed with Garrett and Jess sitting close to my bed while our parents sat in the other chairs and looked over at the TV. The pain was gone and I felt a lot more relaxed. Looking over at the monitor, the contractions were there, but I wasn't feeling a thing.

"What time is it?" I asked in a tired voice as I looked over at Garrett.

"It's almost 8:30," he answered as he looked over at the clock. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he lightly ran his finger on the side of my cheek.

"Tired," I said with a small smile.

"Try to rest a little. You still have a little while longer to go," he said and gave me a kiss.

I closed my eyes and tried to get rest, but it was hard when I was anxious about Addison coming.

About an hour later, I felt like I needed to push.

"Garrett," I said and he looked up from his phone.

"You okay?" He asked as he moved closer to my bed.

"I feel like I need to push," I said as I looked at him and he set his phone down.

"Are you sure?" He asked and I nodded my head.

"I'll go get the doctor," Kristi said as she got up and quickly left the room.

"She's coming," my mom said and I smiled a little as I looked at Garrett.

"This is it," he said as he looked at me and gave me a kiss.

"Cassie, Kristi said you feel like you need to push?" I heard Dr. Thompson say as she came into the room.

"Yeah," I said as I turned onto my back and she got a pair of gloves on to check me.

"Okay, you are fully dilated," she said as she checked me and everyone started to get excited. "We are going to ask everyone but Garrett to step out," she said as nurses started to bring things into the room.

"Okay, sweetie. Good luck," my mom said as she gave me a thumbs up before they left the room.

"You're going to do great," Garrett said as he looked at me and I nodded my head.

The doctor and nurses got everything ready for me and once I was all set, it was time to start pushing.

"Okay, Cassie. Whenever you feel a contraction I want you to bear down and start pushing, okay?" Dr. Thompson said as I nodded my head and continued to hold Garrett's hand.

I felt a contraction come on and I closed my eyes as I started to push.

"1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10. Breathe," Dr. Thompson instructed and I took a small rest. "Good, Cassie. Go again," she said and I started to push again as I squeeze Garrett's hand. "1...2...3...Good, Cassie...5...6...7...8...9...10. Breathe," she said again and I stopped pushing.

"You're doing great, Cassie. A little bit more," the nurse said and I nodded my head.

"She's got a full head of dark hair," Garrett said with a smile and I let out a little laugh before I started to push again.

"1...2...3...4...5...6...a little bit more, Cassie. She's right there," Dr. Thompson said and I pushed harder as I felt Addison's body start to slide out. "Okay, great, Cassie!" She said as she took the baby and I heard her cries start to fill the room.

I rested back against the pillow as I felt tears come to my eyes. Addison's cries continued to fill the room as the nurses took her over to clean her off.

"You did it, babe. I'm so proud of you," Garrett said and I looked over at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said with a smile before we kissed.

After Addison was cleaned up, the nurse brought her over to us.

"Here's mommy," the nurse said as she gently handled me Addison.

I took her in my arms and supported her head and we both looked at her.

"She's so beautiful," I said with a smile as more tears came to my eyes.

"Just like her momma," Garrett said as he gently touched her small hand.

Addison was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and I was so glad that she was finally here. After everything we had gone through and all the pain during the labor process, in the end, it was definitely worth it.

CHAPTER 18

CASSIE'S POV

A week had passed since I gave birth to Addison and everything was going great. Garrett was definitely pulling his weight being a new daddy. He would help out with everything from taking care of Addison while I got naps in, getting up with her during the night, and helping out in any way that he could.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked over at the clock to see that it was almost 6:30 in the morning. I rolled onto my back and looked over to see that Garrett's side of the bed was empty. I pushed the covers off of the bottom half of my body as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. I let out a yawn before I stood up and made my way out of the room. I walked down the hall and heard Garrett's voice from Addison's room. I slowed down as I approached her room and saw Garrett sitting in the rocker with her as he gave her a bottle. As he continued to feed her, he lightly sang to her. I stood there as I leaned against the door frame, crossed my arms over my chest, and smiled.

Well I remember that day

When our eyes first met

You ran into the building to get out of the rain

Cause you were soakin wet

And as I held the door

You wanted to know my name

Timing is everything

I continued to smile as I watched the two of them interact with each other.

And I could've been another minute late

And you'd never would've crossed my path that day

And when it seems true love is hard to find

That's when love comes along

Just in time

You can call it fate

Or destiny

Sometimes it really seems like it's a mystery

Cause you can be hurt by love

Or healed by the same

Timing is everything

It can happen so fast

Or a little too late

Timing is everything

He finished singing and looked over to see me standing there.

"Hey," he quietly said as he continued to rock Addison.

"Hey," I quietly said with a smile as I started to walk over to him.

"She's out again," he quietly said as he handed me the bottle that she didn't finish and slowly stood up from the rocker.

He gently laid her back down in her crib and I smiled as I watched her continue to see. A small smile formed on her face and we quietly laughed as Garrett wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"She's something else," I quietly said as I continued to look at her.

"Yeah, she is," he quietly said as he lightly rubbed my shoulder. "We did good," he said and I looked at him.

"Yeah, we did," I said with a smile before he gave me a kiss.

Addison was perfect and even though we had been through a lot over that past year, things were looking up. I couldn't wait to make more memories with both Garrett and Addison.


End file.
